The Two Lights
by hilda211
Summary: Light Yagami died in a warehouse in 2010…only now he didn't. Back in his own past is this his 'second chance' or his 'second go? and with twice as much Light around as normal why is L still blind? LightLLight massive 12k update!
1. prologue The Warehouse

3/08/08 hey everyone, thought it was time to clean this up a bit. for returning readers i hope you enjoy the massive update and do look out for a few other little projects of mine that will be coming your way pretty soon!

For new readers, thanks for giving this a go! i should warn you that I borrow quite heavily from the original manga for a while in the beginning. The idea with this fic is to almost follow the plot for a while but then leave it entirely.

It should be quite a dark story but with a humorous writing style to lighten it up a bit….and also as much yaoi as I can shoehorn in.

/

"The one who is to die is you Light!"

NO! nononononon I can't…

40 seconds…

A warehouse, 2010, and a dying man pleads for his life. "N…NO! I don't want to die! I don't want to go to prison either! Do something! I know there's a way out of it, Ryuk!!"

Surrounding him, those who will watch him die.

The one who left him,

The one who betrayed him,

The one who sold him,

The one who shot him,

Those who conspired against him,

And there, crouched in white, the one who defeated him…

Him, … Kira,… god, kami, saviour, hero, leader of the lost, judge of the wicked, champion to the weak, … defeated… NO!

"I don't want to die! I don't want to go!"

… It hurts so much when it happens, a terrible squeezing, struggling for every desperate breath.

but as he fades away, a distant voice calls to him.

"…and as for this foolish pride of mine… I discard it"


	2. Wakeup

I don't own Death Note

* * *

chater one - wake up - Batered by Beleive Bridesmaid

* * *

Nothingness, Light felt, was a wholly inaccurate description of Mu. In fact there was a whole lot of _somethingness_ about it. He was lying on a hard dusty floor, feeling the golden warmth of sunlight across his cheek, and the noise that pounded against his ears.  
Such a cacophony, of screeching, scraping, whirring, the clicking of machines and metallic heart beats that rattled the windows and shook the floor. 'I'm alive?' he thought.

No, that was silly, laughable even. He'd felt the crushing ice in his chest. Burning panic had raced through him as his blood stilled in its veins. And the rushing, a desperate wind, the air knocked out of him, over him, through him, dragging him backwards, forwards and somewhere else.  
But then again… wait, was that his heart? Yes, yes it was… no, is. Its beating! Each thump of this little muscle sent hot life on its joyous path around his grateful body. It is not until one has experienced death that one begins to really appreciate living, Light decided. He then spent a minute or two basking in his own internal organs, loving each girgle and glug and the dust tickling his nose, he rediscovered the joys of breathing, tears sliding from his eyes and down his face. All to the rhythmic thumping from deep with in him. 'I'm alive! I'm really alive!' Laughing and crying with joy he sat up, opened his eyes and gazed into a beautiful world of dappled evening sunlight, and he tossed a handful of dust in the air which caught on the sunlight setting the air alive with glitter and sparkles. - this is confusing, is he outside or inside?  
'Why am I alive?'

* * *

In an expensive hotel room in Tokyo, 3 people were watching one large screen. "No, I cannot let you out" L spoke into his microphone.  
"Damn it ... Why is this happening?"  
'What's going on with you, Light Yagami? You're not making sense…yet…for some reason your little act feels sincere...'  
"Now that the killings have stopped there's no way we can end the confinement… even I know that."  
"Well, no matter what he says, looks like this case will be resolved with Light Yagami as Kira"  
L was at a loss. Not an hour ago this case was closed. He had the evidence, the suspects and the deaths stopped the very day they were confined. His main suspect seemed about to confess! But then, just as with his second suspect, at the moment of confession it all went wrong. They changed, forgot why they confined and just stopped making sense. Amane-san seemed adamant that he, L, was a stalker and thought it to bea more likely situation than her arrest. Now Light-kun, intelligent though he was, was trying to convince the team that he was being framed.

'Why?'

* * *

'Why?' It seemed that the joys of being alive last only so long.

Light was pretty sure he'd been shot several times and then his heart had stopped, none of which was conducive to his present condition: alive.  
'Why?' 'How?' 'When?' 'Who?' However, the loudest question ringing through his mind was 'Where _the hell_ am I?'. Letting the deeper philosophical questions go, he tried to deal with his most pressing concern.

He was apparently in a warehouse. One of perplexing similarity to the one he'd just, for want of a better word, left. But Light was sure he remembered that warehouse being empty, this one on the other hand contained a small factory, a row of offices and a lot of jarring noise. Balding men in boiler suits were running around in a state of apparent chaos, yelling at one another over the machines and gesticulating wildly. Light wondered if he should be worried by all this, but for all he knew this was normal factory behaviour.

He found himself lying in the space between two conveyor belt lines. Every few meters down the belt machines were attaching new things to large disks. Beneath one machine and closest to him rested a large box with "Gothic threes" embossed on the side. Curious, Light shuffled closer and saw that indeed the box contained thin metal roman numerals with an excessive amount of curliness to them. '…strange'

Light tried to stand, leaning heavily on the machine and the head rush was horrendous. He stretched, to a satisfying noise of clicking and popping and sighed.  
A flashback, crawling on the ground like a worm, so much pain, helpless, begging for his life and anger flashed through him. 'I will never fail again!'

"Oi, You! What are you doing in here?" Light looked up at the angry red faced man who had just rounded the corner.

"Ehhhhh?" what _was_ he doing in here? 'think quick, think quick' "Um, warehouse inspector….. I er, inspect warehouses…for the government, um, yes that's it, from the department of ware…er work and industry"

"Oh really? How comes I haven't heard of you?"

"It's a surprise inspection, we like to see how these places operate normally"

"You're a surprise warehouse inspector?" Light guessed he had another 30 seconds before the guy stopped finding it funny and came over here and thumped him.

"Why yes, in fact I was just completing my structural inspection when you came by. Now tell me have you had anything done about that large crack in the ceiling?"

"What crack?"

"That one there. Looks a bit like a bird."

"Nah! Looks more like a plane from where I'm standing"

"I guess…" he squinted "kinda looks like a guy with his arms outstretched…well, anyway…so…um, what do you make here?" The man was looking quite angry now, but distraction was still the best option.

"Take a look around you"

"Oh… wow! Just like in those paintings, how surreal! How do you get them to flow like that?" The man seemed confused so Light continued. "You know, by some Italian guy wasn't it? He did these and those creepy elephants with long spindly legs"

"Oh no, they're only doing that coz the acrylic's not setting properly coz some bugger's gone and messed with the temperature setting of the heating modulator or something."

"Ahh I see where this is going, your making the gross assumption that I am, as you put it, 'some bugger' that would go round messing with other peoples temperature settings. Well I'm not sure I know what a heating modulator is so I don't think…"

"But its only happening around you!" The man whined. As Light watched part of one former disks broke away and slipped of the belt landing with a plop and a splash. Light searched desperately for something sensible to say that didn't involve being shot, then dying and waking up here. The man continued "Listen, mate, I don't know whats going on here or how you did this…" another splash, from behind him this time "b-but…" to the right another one oozed though its rollers. He seemed really unnerved now. The melting was speeding up and spreading through the warehouse. "Just. Get. Out. Of. My. Factory." He bit out through gritted teeth. Light decided to follow his instructions and leave as quickly as possible before he changed his mind and charged him for this mess.

* * *

On the moniters L's two suspects still protested their innocence.

This was wrong. It was the crack in his resolve, small but growing, a niggling little doubt of wrongness. Did they really think they would walk away from their crimes on a convenient bout of amnesia? Surely not!

Or was this part of Kira's powers? Who knew?

Since the start of this case L had been trailing behind Kira in knowledge. Which was the complete reverse to any other situation. For a normal case there were libraries full of tried and tested information, charts and crime statistics. Data books listing every gun and bullet ever made, blood spatter patterns - from the popular 'stabbed in the back (5th /6th ) with a short (3 to 4 inches) smooth blade' to the more obscure 'industrial strength ceiling fan collapse', and DNA profiling techniques so far ahead of their time that they could predict who your grandchildren were.  
But what use was any of this to a telepathic killer who only needed your name and face to stop your heart dead?  
Every scrap of knowledge had to be dredged from the see of endless possibility. Were Kira's powers truly infinite? In the beginning nothing seemed impossible. All over the world convicts, criminals, suspects, thugs and terrorists alike were just dying. All from heart attacks, not a coincidence but then who? Who could? Who would, and why? An organisation or an individual? No organisation could be that big, that secret or even that well organised. But an individual, how? Poison, or something more sinister… (6 billion suspects)

A clue! _it was only shown in Japan... _

A theory! _..it was live...wouldn't have had the time.._

But such a risk to test it. If he was right and … Kira (how appropriate) took the bait he would have proved so much …, but if he was then wrong and you couldn't hide behind a scrambled voice, would Kira kill him too? Would he die in his empty room slumped over the keyboard? Ahhhh! That was why he did this job, although, he's never felt quite this hands-on before.  
He was right, of course. 'Kira you're in Kanto and you cant kill me' A killer who could kill telepathically… what fun! (30 million suspects)  
All Kira needs is to know what you look like…no, some criminals haven't been killed. Why? Does he need the name. Ha! Advantage to Lawliet! I'll get the NPA to check, to make sure. Oh Kira, all your victims are lined up in prisons, I hear the moment they die. You're the disease infecting my lab rats; I merely have to watch to know how you work.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

We've worked out your schedule Kira, you're a student, a student in Tokyo.  
(1 million suspects)

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The walls have ears apparently. Now how is my little disease getting his information? You're here, aren't you? In this police station? Or perhaps, as there have been no leaks to the press, are you apart of one of their families Kira? You can control the times of death too. You've lost a huge advantage in showing me that, now you have no easy alibi. Criminals dying whilst you're 'busy' can't get you out of suspicion. I wonder why you did it, so desperate to throw me of 'student' you'll sacrifice your escape route? I think I'll look for you closer to home. (141 suspects)

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

You need my name Kira? Well good luck! I'm not even 100 sure what it is these days.  
Watch out Kira, some of my old friends are joining in the fun. Lets see how you cope with the FBI on your tail.  
You can control them! Damn it! How will you use this? The possibilities are endless, could you even kill me too? But wait, 3 do odd things, 3 more die normally, what else did you test for that didn't work. And how will you get your results? This is my lab Kira. Surely you know I'm not going to tell you how your experiment went, so how are you going to find out?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

And a message, for me? How considerate Kira "L do you know?" What do I know? Who you are? Well not yet, but soon, Kira.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Another message Kira? "gods of death" Do you think you're a god Kira?

Well you are pretty amazing but not omnipotent. Or "L do you know gods of death…" what comes next I wonder. What are you planning Kira? Something big since you're still running tests, but how did you find out?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

……12 FBI agents Kira? 12 innocent people, a bit different from criminals, are you really that scared? I was complacent and I've paid the price, the FBI won't help me any more and the NPA don't trust me. Your message was, "L do you know gods of death…love apples?". Damn you Kira! I will get you! I'm going to drag you from the darkness where you hide into the light of justice! I'll watch as the people, as one, execute you Kira, the childish, evil, cowardly mass murderer. And it shouldn't be a long wait I think. Your move today will yield many a vital clue I'm sure. All I have to do is calm down and think.

You killed all 12 agents because you'd met one of them, and if I look hard enough I'll find out who, and then of course, you, Kira. I know you tried to control the deaths as much as you could but there were somethings you couldn't control. Now which agent did you have contact with?  
Only those that will risk their lives are left. Out of all the police in Tokyo I'm down to 5. Better than nothing I guess, but what if one of them is Kira? Or the one passing information to him? You'd defiantly try if you could, to stay on and mover closer to me wouldn't you? But with only 5 officers you're not going to be able to hide among them, so maybe not.

This is your victory though, Kira. I'm going to show my face for the first time. I only hope my security, vast though it is, will be strong enough to hold you off and keep you from seeing me. Soon Kira, I promise.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The order in which they received the file is the clue. We've only tracked down footage of 3 of the agents deaths. I think you'ld not not have wanted your movements recorded Kira, so is your agent one of the others. Hmmm, why did Penber do a full loop of the Yamamoto line? But there's nothing to show that he ever got off the train… 'What happened to the envelope?!' Why did he take a manila envelope on the train and leave it there? And what is he looking at as he dies? You Kira? Were you there? Did you want to watch him die before your eyes? I doubt you've left any evidence of that though. You're not the type to make that sort of mistake… no not like that, only the big ones, like becoming Kira.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Raye Penber's fiancé is missing. Naomi! Such a strong woman, she went after him, I know it! And so clever, she must have known something. I wonder if she found him or did you get to her first. I should have watched the FBI agents more closely instead of following the criminals. However with this, and Penbar's strange actions on the day he died we can narrow this investigation down quite considerably – those whom were being investigated by Raye Penber. Oh! How embarrassing for you chief Yagami, but surprisingly he's very cooperative once I've dealt with the legality of what I want to do.  
I'm down to two families then, Yagami and Kitamura, this week should be interesting. (7 suspects)

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

He checks who's entered his room because of his well hidden porn stash? Hmmm… Lets see how they react to the news bulletin. "That's why I bet it isn't even true. This is just a ruse to put pressure on Kira". Well done boy! Apparently you've helped the police out before, and so smart. I'm going to keep my eye on you.  
Studying all night, how dreary. Not even a little murder to brighten your evening?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Damn! Two more dead and the only ones who knew of them were Kitamura's wife and daughter. But a purse-snatcher and an embezzler? A tad harsh wasn't that Kira?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

He's home and watching television tonight? Still studying, yet the deaths continue. Kitamura's wife missed the news tonight and his daughter's at a party, no one, in either family could have known about the criminals killed minutes after the appeared in reports.

Kira's not slipping up, he isn't going to show me how he kills however long I watch, these cameras are useless. How is he doing it?! Kira must be killing them as soon as he sees them on the news but how? How does he kill with no emotion whatsoever? Do you not feel it any more Kira? To take away a human life so easily, you've truly lost track of the value of it Kira, and that is what terrifies me most. You will not stop until you are caught because you believe you're divine judgement is that it?

You silly, childish little killer! I need to put more pressure on you, make you kill someone in front of me. 'but there's no way I could do that…or could I?'

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It's been awhile since I last sat a university entrance exam, I hope I haven't gotten too rusty, but I do like to observe my suspects in their natural habitats. And this is yours, isn't it Yagami? Study, study, study to you the world consists of right and wrong answers, black and white facts, study enough, know everything and you never need be wrong. But you are, or at least Kira is. Black, white, wrong, right, good and evil are all fallacies. Everything is but a shade of grey, the best decision or merely human nature. Elementary to everyone except a child like you Kira.

"Sit properly"! A case in point, who is he, the examiner, to say what is the correct position one should adopt write an exam? How can there be a 'correct' way of sitting, and what does he know of physiology, intelligence and comfort? But I digress, I paid a great deal of money for the pleasure of sitting behind you Yagami and I shall not be showed up by you. What is this paper on anyway? Ah! Non-verbal reasoning, didn't I write a book on this a few years ago. If I'm not mistaken some of these appear to be questions from it, I do hope I'm getting royalties for this.

Of course I complete the paper correctly, as if there was another possibility. So did Yagami apparently as we will be giving the address together. You're too perfect Yagami, so calm, collected and confident. Did you know that the first 'control' tests took place whilst you were being followed by Penber? You speak so eloquently, lets see if I cant ruffle your feathers. _If_ you are Kira there's nothing that could pressure you more than this.

"I am L" I whisper into your ear.

There it is! The gasp, the wobble - you're a good actor but I've seen through you.

Hello Yagami Light, or should I say, _Kira_? (1 suspect)

* * *

'Well that settles it, there's something fucked up about this' The sign outside the warehouse named it as the Yellow Box, the place he'd agreed to meet (and then kill) Near. What had happened?

His first thought was that Near had abandoned his body after killing him. Except he hadn't actually been dead, just close to it, and then after a few hours he'd woken up.

Was it possible? It happened a lot in movies and you did hear stories of soldiers left for dead in the snow waking up days later and surviving. However there were 3 problems with that theory. 1, no bullet holes and no form of super fast, super efficient healing had ever cleaned and fixed shirts before. 2, death by notebook was pretty damn final, he'd seen enough evidence of that over the years. And 3, why would someone build and entirely pointless factory around his (apparent) corpse?  
Unless of course this was Near's idea of joke. Light wouldn't put it past him.

Or on that vein, what if this was a joke? Some higher power was extracting some form of bizarre punishment upon him. What if Mu really was about spending all of eternity in Tokyo's industrial district? No heaven or hell for Kira, but somewhere inbetween. Looking around him, Light decided that if this was Mu it was definitely heading toward the 'hell' end of the afterlife spectrum.

Deciding that this was getting him nowhere, and with better things that needed to be done, Light headed in direction he vaguely remembered home being in. It was going to be a long walk home, but he could hardly call for a taxi.

First, he was going to go back to his and Misa's apartment and take a long hot bath. After getting dressed and drying his hair, he would dig out a few of the Death Note pages he had stashed in cunning places and pour himself a large glass of expensive red wine. Then, when suitably relaxed, he would Write Every Name He Knows down on those pages, taking care to be as creative and inventive as possible with causes of death.

'Hmmmm, Nate River… raped to death by troop of rabid gorillas' – whilst that had a certain ring to it, it wasn't very stylish or in fact personalised.

He tried again. 'Nate River - L mask becomes permanently attached to face, unable to remove it he starves to death 3 weeks later'. This had the advantage of achievability, (Near presumably still has his mask, whilst rabid gorillas are hard to come by even at the best of times) and also enough dramatic irony and poetic justice to satisfy Kira's wounded pride. Near had wanted to be L, had looked up to him and was probably soiling that great name with his presences even now. So he would be L, the real one, if only for 3 weeks! Ha!

Matsuda! He'd argued for Kira, and was the nearest thing Light had to a genuine supporter close to home. But when it counted Matsuda had turned on him, shooting him and ending any chance Light had for victory. 'Something really nasty …Matsuda Touta becomes convinced he is turning into fish. After two weeks drowns self in toilet attempting to spawn.' Well there was room for improvement there but then again Light had a while to think and wanted to get it right.

By now he was walking along a road he hoped was going in the right direction (away from the warehouse). 'Who next?' Aizawa and his family… crushed by a grand piano? Mogi would die 20 days after his penis had exploded in a tragic microwave related accident. 'Ide? First name is Hideki isn't it? He wasn't actually that much of a bastard in the end, so maybe something not so…'

"Hey! Excuse me, your not Yagami-kun are you?" Light spun round, a car driving up behind him had stopped and a man was leaning out the window. "Ide!" This was it! After leaving him for dead they'd sent Ide back to finish him off! No weapons and no where to run to. 'Shit! Shit! Shit!' He'd just have to try and talk his way out of this one.

"What are you doing in a place like this?" '_What? Errrrr breathing! No thanks to you_' "Walking home" Wasn't he going to get on with it? Its not as though Light could defend himself. "From way out here? Don't you live near Kita-Kashiwa? You'll be walking all night. Come here, I'll give you a lift." Oh so that was it. Couldn't kill him out here in the open so they'd take somewhere deserted or maybe they'd just imprison him and leave him to rot.

He didn't really have many options out here, but in the car there were plenty of possibilities. Ide's gun, the police radio, crashing the car or if the worst came to the worst, (and after his luck today it probably would) he could always seduce Ide. Yuck! But Light couldn't remember the guy ever having girlfriend so it might be worth a shot.

He got in, muttered "thanks" and buckled the seat belt (making sure to leave slack for any quick actions and also not quite shutting the door so he couldn't be secretly locked in).  
'Better start him talking' "So what were you doing out here Ide-san?"  
"Nothing really, complete waste of time! As if factories malfunctioning are police business. Tried to explain of course, but they kept insisting I got on to the department of work and industry about their inspectors. Honestly, ne? But then just the other day…" Ide proceeded to ramble about the trials of police life and advising Light to "Go be a stockbroker or something, got the same amount of excitement, shoot outs and wild car chases, but for a lot more money and less drunks being sick on your shoes"

What the hell was wrong with this man! "I know it's a tough job, but I always dreamt of following my father"  
"Yes, Chief Yagami is a very inspiring man, how is he these days?" '_errrr…dead, you were kind of there at the time_' Light felt as though he was missing something important in this conversation.  
"Same as he usually is" '_decomposing_.' Had this man forgotten Light was Kira?  
"Suspect you don't see that much of him these days," (Light snorted at this) "what with him being in charge of the Kira case." This was getting weird.  
"I thought Near was in charge these days."  
"Near, who is Near? Well I suppose L's really the 'lead investigator' but, between you and me, I don't think he's trustworthy. Bringing in those FBI agents illegally to spy on…er…Kira". How did this man cope with being a detective if he started discussing stuff like that with a civilian?  
"I haven't seen your father around much, probably not since the Sakura TV incident. He used to pop into the office every few days, I hope L's not working him to hard. 'tut' Just after a heart attack as well. You tell him to take better care of himself."

"Thanks, I'll tell him you're thinking of him". L bringing FBI agents? Dad's heart attack? Sakura TV? No way! Was Near trying to confuse him to death? No, wait a minute! A poster they'd just past had announced Ryuuga Hideki's new album that would be released in... _feb 2005! _2005! What happened to 2010!

Was he really back in 2004? It would explain a few things, but time travel was impossible. Didn't you end up with having infinite mass and then killing your own grandfather? Light had to know, but he felt asking 'What year is this?' would lead to some awkward questions. But then he remembered those whispered words he'd heard as he'd died, didn't he say those in 2004?  
"This is Otemachi, will you be OK from here?"

Damn no chance to ask him now, but at least he could get away from Ide. For the whole car journey Light had felt nauseating fear, but also embarrassment as this man had seen him at his worst, begging and helpless.  
He hid his anger and hatred as he said his thanks.

"Anything for the Chief!"

Light jumped the ticket barrier and got on the first Joban line train to Torride, checking as he went every magazine stand for the date. The newspapers were still full of Kira stories, but with none of the good spin he'd come to expect of late. No adoring fans or Church of Kira yet, but then again remembering Mikami, maybe that wasn't so bad.

He wasn't certain yet if this was real or what he would do if it was, but at the moment it looked like Light was back and he'd got a second chance.

And he would get things right this time.


	3. Home

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

* * *

**\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\**

Getting off at Kita-Kashiwa Light felt a pang of regret, when was the last time he'd visited his mother and sister? His father's funeral? Things had gotten so busy after that.

Going home was incredibly risky since he wasn't sure when he was. However he had no choice, with his worldly possessions consisting of the clothes he wore, keys to an apartment he didn't own, some change (but minted after 2008), and an entirely useless wallet full of credit cards and ID that wouldn't be valid for years. This made it an incredibly dangerous item to carry around and would have to be disposed of as soon as possible. His police ID might still work though, (if no one minded a seventeen year old cop) since it was only ever flashed at people, it could be useful. Better not show it to a real police officer though.

Who would be home when he got there? If his suspicions were right and that voice was any indication he'd landed during his confinement at the hands of L. So he wouldn't have to face the 'its me' paradox yet and his father was in confinement by this point too which was good, as Light wasn't sure he was ready to face him. That just left Mum and Sayu and at this time of day his sister should be in school.

Right, so how was he going to convince his mum not to tell anyone he'd turned up taller and bigger a week after he'd vanished without contacting her once?

Surprisingly enough it turned out not to be so hard. She was just so glad to see him she had bought anything he said. "The Kira case is really going badly, that stuff about living with Misa is a bit of a lie. We've been held up in hotel rooms all week, yes dad's safe, but then L decided I was too young to work on such a dangerous case and wants me to stay here! Its so unfair!". This lie had the great advantage in that as long as she mixed the date up slightly (as he knew she would) it would blend in with the truth. It also stopped her telling anyone about him coming home "When you call dad don't mention me here, we think Kira may be tapping phones and he can't know I'm back or he'll go after me."

It was good to see her though, and when she hugged him, he hugged her back tightly. Light hadn't thought he'd ever see her again, or anyone else for that matter.

Lying awake that night his mind boiled with ideas, plans and problems.

He was back in his own past. How and why were impossible questions right now, he'd ask a shinigami if he got the chance.

He seemed to have arrived at the point he first gave up ownership of the death note. This was a good point to be given another go at. This was when irreparable doubt was cast into the minds of the team. Before now, none of them would have considered for an instant that Light was Kira, but after confinement the doubt would never go away which subsequently led to the defections of Mogi and Aizawa.

The first time around it had been the best of Light's options. In fact since it allowed him, with one action, to wipe out L and Watari and gain control of the investigation it had been a damn good plan. Now however, knowing what happened, he could make it _so_ much better.

But should he? Was this a second chance rather than just a second go?

He knew the answer to that immediately; there could never be any redemption for Kira. Once he'd written the first name in the note book it was win or loose for Light Yagami. He would either succeed in becoming a living god inspiring a revolution of civilisation or he would loose and die, in a warehouse with the laughing shinigami and the _pity _on their faces! Yes there was only one answer!

Was _he_ here though? A younger me, memoryless and scared in that hateful cell. From the looks of things time was running normal with just him as an addition. 'Well I can certainly give myself a hand'. He could really mess with L. Pay him back for all the 'fun' Light had suffered at his hands.

* * *

"Good Morning Ryuk" The shinigami didn't like the smile on Light's face.

"hyuk hyuk didn't expect to see you so soon buddy" Until a moment ago Ryuk had been watching Light in his cell from the shinigami realm, then he'd felt the pull of the notebook. It wasn't right. His human was different. 'I took away his memories, how did he find this'. Ryuk was most unnerved by Lights eyes, that stared at him with the look he usually reserved for the back of L's head. But first things first. "Where's my apple?" Light's smile broadened.

It had taken Light quite some time to find the place. It wasn't as though he'd ever tried to remember a spot he'd once hidden his notebook. He'd left early after breakfast, telling his mum he was "going to convince L to let him back on the case". She hadn't been happy but after he'd promised to look after his father and call more often, she had given in.

With him he'd brought a few changes of old (and unmissable) clothing and as much cash as he could find (withdrawing money just wasn't sensible with the paper trail it left). It wasn't much but would tie him over for a few days at least. And of course, he now had the only thing he ever needed, his precious, perfect notebook.

"An apple? For my dearest friend Ryuk? Why how remiss of me, here you go." He had been troubled by how to handle the shinigami and their first meeting. The greatest betrayal Kira, no Light, had suffered that day had been that of Ryuk's. His 'buddy' had killed him, wrote his name as Light had begged for his life, and had thanked him for the good time, the great show and then he had laughed. As he handed the apple to the shinigami, Ryuk swore he could see something dark flicker in the eyes.

One however, could simply not take revenge on a shinigami easily. Light couldn't write 'Ryuk' in the death note and expect anything to happen. He also couldn't touch Ryuk unless the shinigami allowed it and whilst Ryuk seemed able to experience pain it only seemed to occur in the absence of apples. The symptoms of which were so annoying Light loathed to resort to that method. There was also the matter of questions as to _why _he was here, and hopefully their answers, so revenge would just have to wait. Didn't they always say revenge was a dish best served cold? He would watch Ryuk stew, as around him Kira exacted his revenge on all those who'd opposed him.

And he would. They'd all pay. Kira would cleanse the world, make his dreams, and the dreams of the poor and the weak and the abused a reality. A world where any man, woman or child could live out their lives without the fear of discrimination, abuse or crime, their benevolent god shining upon them. Kira's light in their hearts, protecting them.

Kira was back, he was the man with the plan, knew the future and the past, the names and the faces. He would win!

A thought occurred 'I know Near's name and I've seen his face, but he was nineteen at the time. Does knowing what someone _will_ look like count as knowing their face?' Could he kill Wammy and Higuchi? And what about L? 'I never found out his name!' he thought angrily. Well he could certainly have fun experimenting.

He had buried most of his wallet and his keys as they were useless for now, in the box that once had held the note. Leaving the park he entered his favourite Manga Kisa, or internet café and booked himself in for the next twentyfour hours. He sat down and turned on the computer.

'FBI's most wanted list…..hmmmm good place to start' and skipping number one, he began to write.

Yes, Kira was back.

* * *


	4. Confinement

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* * *

**Confinement day 9**

"What the hell is going on?!"

Matsuda burst into the room with the mornings newspaper clutched in his hand. Starting from midnight last night Kira had been killing. He'd wiped out all the new major criminals from around the world and then he'd caught up with those he'd missed last week. Kira was indeed back, as Aizawa had just observed.

What was going on? L had expected killings to continue when Light was confined and they didn't. Now, after more than a weeks silence deaths had started up again. What was he to make of it? Could Light's attack of amnesia, less than 48 hours ago, really just be a coincidence? Matsuda informed Yagami-san of the new development. "I know I shouldn't be happy when people are being killed but… my son… No this is Ryuzaki we're talking about… he won't clear him…"

'Well of course not!' What was he thinking? Sure, this was inconvenient, but it didn't mean anything yet. OK Light probably couldn't have killed this lot but… Aizawa and Matsuda were giving him angry looks. He'd better offer them something. "umm…he's in the grey…"

He stopped Matsuda telling Light the news. Idiot! They'd never get a confession that way, but why was Light so adamant. Surly it was time to admit defeat. And Misa adding to her motive, "Kira's a hero."

'What the heck is going on?'

* * *

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**Confinement day 14**

What was that human doing? Light told her that giving the notebook to another human would free Misa. Rem had thought the plan was 'deaths continue whilst Misa and human can't possibly be doing it - ergo Misa isn't Kira and she goes free.' But deaths had started soon after she left Light, was the plan going wrong? Or had Ryuk been given a similar task to Rem, sent to find a replacement Kira? Would he have agreed? Rem doubted it.

This was probably all part of Light's plan, and whilst she resented being left in the dark, Rem knew Light was clever and would look out for Misa Misa (if he knew what was good for him.) His innocence (and life) was tied to Misa, the only way he would be free (and alive) was if Misa was too.

So perhaps these deaths were a good thing, the sooner L realised Misa wasn't Kira the sooner she'd be free. And Rem had just found the perfect human for her notebook. Arrogant and reasonably smart but ready to agree to her deal. "You sure Kira's OK with this? Well then its good business, Rem. For both you and me."

'OK Light, I'm going to trust you, but if you mess up and Misa's hurt I won't hesitate to kill you'

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* * *

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**Confinement day 22**

There were by now almost 100 deaths per day, and on one particularly bad day last week 237 criminals were killed over a 7 hour period.

Everyday increasingly angry and desperate reports were sent to Watari from prisons and governments around the world.

"What are you doing? We thought you were the best"

"Kira has to be stopped! Why haven't you caught him?"

"No one is safe! Is Kira even human?"

The more worrying question, the one at the front of everyone's minds yet fearfully unspoken: How long before he goes after politicians, world leaders or just power itself?

And Kira could. Quiet easily, for it was too late to hide the names and faces of present world leaders. Kira could, if not take over completely, throw the world into such chaos, destroying civilisation and democracy.

And that was no exaggeration! L surmised that there were 2 post-Kira worlds possible; one in which politicians and leaders cowered beneath Kira's will. Kira would become an unquestionable, unalterable dictator, who was in turn at the mercy of the subtle control of the media and the rich.

Or the second option, perhaps the most sinister; the secret leaders, a faceless regime, a back room government, safe from Kira but also from scrutiny and enquiry. A leader whose name and face were unknown! Big Brother would protect you from Kira but at the price of transparency, civil liberties and then ultimately, democracy.

Light Yagami is Kira!

All the evidence pointed that way, he had to be Kira! The deaths stopped the moment he was confined! The evidence, it all fit! He was the only one arrogant enough, smart enough and with the right connections to pull it off.

That cocky little bastard must have set this up somehow, perhaps got another person to act as Kira. Everything up to the day he was confined fit perfectly. …I don't understand, I need more time.

"No! I'm not Kira! How many times do I have to tell you?!" Light screamed up at the camera

You don't need to tell me Yagami, you have to prove it to me. Prove it! Explain the evidence, and maybe I'll start listening.

…Why doesn't he know the deaths have resumed? If he set this up he should know…yet he doesn't seem to…

Aizawa's right I'm not really gaining any information like this. But I resent that other comment "doing this because _I _don't want to admit I'm wrong." These men know nothing! You don't stop an experiment just because it's giving unexpected results.

Calm. In fact it is the most interesting outcome when the test gives the wrong results. I'm missing the vital clue here. Something is wrong, not with my theory, but with my whole understanding of the problem. I'm going to be calm, think through this logically and will arrive at a new hypothesis in no time. And have a slice of cake.

I have lost the team's confidence however and I won't be able to think with them glowering at me. If there is another Kira out there (or someone acting for him) I must catch him; put a stop to the deaths, find out the method and then maybe I'll get the proof I need.

Do not think you've won Yagami, this is just a temporary setback… no, it's a chance to observe you under new circumstances. Now that's a bit more positive. You'll be less restricted now, so will you try to make a move?

Hold on, can I force you to act? Put you in a position where you kill for me, in front of my cameras?

Yes, and Yagami-san will agree of course –he'll do anything for his son.

Will you do it Kira? Kill your own father to save yourself?

'Yagami-san you maintain that Light isn't Kira – are you willing to stake your life on it?'

No one likes my plan, mostly because it means if I'm right (of which I've previously assured the team I am) Yagami-san will be killed. However I'm 83 sure he won't die. I'm not sure why I know this but some thing about them is different. Light in particular seems more …I suppose the word I want is 'believable' … or am I just …

Don't get me wrong, he and Amane will be charged and convicted of being Kiras. However until then,

"Light-kun, You want to help with the case? You've always said so, so I'm going to take you up on that offer."

But first, Kira, I'm going to execute you.

"Watari, I need you to prepare a car for me, oh and buy a gun, would you?"

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* * *

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**A construction site**.

"Kagami Tarou, Akarui Security Solutions. I'm here to fix up the security system."

"Sure, drive through there; you need to speak to the site manager, Tanaka-san."

"Hey! You the security guy?! Bout time you showed up…just got word from the clients, they wanna move in next week! The electrics' still not right and don't ask me about the plumbing!"

"I'll try to be as quick as I can then, but there's a lot of security to be put in. I have 1000 cameras being delivered on Tuesday, but there is no way I'll get them running in time."

"Bloody hell! 1000 cameras! What the hell is this building for? Half office, half residential… for 'Paranoids Anonymous?' Ha! Well you'd better get going then!"

Builders at the sight often saw Kagami-san up ladders or waist-deep in computer banks or just around sight generally. But they never saw him arrive in the morning or leave at night. And after a few days they stopped seeing him altogether.

With all that time working beside L, and then subsequently being L, Light had picked up a few things. Like how to make the perfect security system, and how to make an imperfect security system and most importantly how one could make a _perfect imperfect _security system.

Really it was all a matter of perspective.

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	5. Bang

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**Bang!**

A blank….?

I'm alive? Dad didn't… what's…?

"Did you see that Ryuzaki? I did as you said and I'm still alive."

"Yes brilliant acting."

Acting?! That was acting? Fake? Ryuzaki! He planned this, to test if I was Kira? How dare he!

"...As promised, I will end both of their confinements." Bloody hell! L has no limits. What if I'd been Kira, or Misa was, then my dad… he could have died!

Wait! Ryuzaki's nuts but not that extreme; he wouldn't have done this if the risk was too great. This might mean, that maybe he doesn't suspect me so much anymore.

About time!

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Since he followed me to Todai L's been itching to send me to the executioner and all I've ever been trying to do is solve this case. I just wanted to help, well the police can solve their own goddamn crimes next time, see if I care!

Its just my luck the most exciting case of the century happens when I'm still in school. I was so bored with life, as if they could blame me for taking an interest in Kira? Who wouldn't? Half the world's obsessed by the case: Mystery Detective vs. Godlike Serial Killer! I remember the first victim, although of course, I didn't know what it was at the time. Otoharada Kuro - the Shinjuku Killer, I was so lucky to be watching TV at the time as I got to see the first death happen before my eyes. To think, Kira must have been watching it at the exact same time as me!

Over the next few weeks the deaths built up and the name of Kira emerged. Everyone thought it had to be the police or the FBI, and they were morons! No organisation would do that, like they could anyway! I had some theories but it wasn't until L appeared that I was proved right. Genius! Harsh, ruthlessly but so, so effective. I'd heard of L before, Dad mentioned him once or twice but I never thought someone so amazing could exist like that before. I was very envious and jealous and even hated him! That's when I decided to find Kira myself, before L, to prove I was better than him, show I could be just as good as 'The World's Best Detective.'

I'd been making notes on the victims so far, and I admit, hacking into my Dad's computer to get the latest developments on the case. It was so exciting, hiding my notes in my desk, searching through fansites and decoding Kira's messages. But did it get me anywhere? Did it bring me credit and recognition? No! It made me a suspect!

The first I knew of it was when the deaths of the FBI agents made the news. I'd known I was being watched for some time, the tall man with the trench coat, Raye Penber, he followed me everywhere, even standing out side my house at night. However since he turned out to be so helpful on the Spaceland bus (and being from the FBI) I stupidly assumed he was there for my protection. With my father in charge of the investigation I was an obvious target, but of course L doesn't think like that.

He suspected me, why?

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Then came the cameras. Of course I never found them but it was just so obvious, I guess. But how daring of L; it's completely illegal to spy on people like that, a complete violation of human rights! I think that's the main reason I hate him, 'if justice doesn't play by the rules it's just as bad as the criminals it's trying to catch', ……one cannot be righteous if one is steeped in darkness…..is that a quote from somewhere?

I couldn't prove the existence of the cameras so I decided to dispel L's suspicions by showing him the 'model student' me. It should've worked, I mean the worst thing I did that week was eat snacks after dinner. Or maybe it was the porn, I just hope Dad wasn't watching, how embarrassing! Yet L still didn't realise the truth, creeping up on me at the entrance ceremony, and ruining the day I'd worked so hard for. Who would have thought the weirdo sitting behind me in the exams would turn out to be the 'World's Best Detective'? Coming right out and saying he's L as though I'd scream or something, although I was pretty scared; to say something like that to someone, L had to really suspect me.

Didn't stop me beating him in tennis, though. Ha ha that was sweet! Finally a real challenge after so long. That's the best thing about him, he takes me seriously and listens to me like I'm an adult. Even when he was accusing me of being Kira in the café he was still impressed by my reasoning and insight. I'd impressed L and _he _wanted _me_ to work with him on the case. Finally someone had recognised me for what I was, a genius of few equals. In some ways it was like a dream come true, even though I wasn't going to catch Kira myself I was, despite being in college, going to take part in the most exciting case in recent history. Personally requested by L! Of course he had to do it under the pretence of investigating me, but I knew the truth. It's a pity he's too prideful just to ask for my help.

I was ready to take my place among the investigators when my Dad had a heart attack. I couldn't believe it, Kira had always been a distant evil that stalked the prisons, yet to imagine he could be so close to home! Dad didn't think it was Kira (on account of surviving) but stress instead, so indirectly it was Kira who hurt my Dad. I vowed to avenge him and even managed to impress L further with my profile of Kira. Although I was starting to see why L was suspecting me, an affluent child being watched by the FBI at the right time. Well I was just going to have to prove him wrong, by catching Kira!

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It was that night that the Second Kira made their first move. All I could do was stand riveted to the screen as Kira hijacked Sakura TV and murdered cops without knowing the names. That's how it was obvious that this was another Kira, that and the crappy graphics, (the first Kira was _far_ more stylish). I knew I had to do something, if Kira's powers could spread then the police would be overwhelmed. Or what if they'd be given to some nutcase or bigot who would kill anyone they didn't like.

L invited me to the investigation the very next day. 'This is it' I thought, a real super secret investigation led by the world's best, assisted by Yagami Light. So you can imagine my disappointment when L was still accusing me and only brought me in to "play Kira." Humpf! Well I impressed the others with my 'two Kiras' theory, using the exact same reasoning as Ryuzaki, thus proving I was on par with L. So he wanted me to play the real Kira, huh? Just an opportunity to show off my profiling skills… and Matsuda's arts and crafts skills, idiot! Did the trick of course, we had the Second Kira hooked.

They sent a reply the next day.

"I will do as you say." So no more innocents would die - well it was a start.

"I want to meet you, Kira." Oh crap that's not good, well we certainly don't want to meet you.

"The eyes?" Does that refer to killing with out the name?

"Shinigami." What the heck!? This was bad! The new Kira's either really stupid or crazy. Like Shinigamis really exist, but the first Kira made criminals write about them… how creepy. Ryuzaki gotten completely freaked out, screaming and falling out of his chair. I wonder, does the word Shinigami mean something more to him?

We couldn't really send out another message, we didn't know enough about Kira to write anything convincing. But as L said this was going to put a lot of pressure on the original Kira to respond.

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In fact it was the Second Kira who replied first . A diary. They were going to meet at a baseball game? Surely 'she' knows that will be impossible. Hmmm no, I bet they'll meet in Aoyama… why?

Ryuzaki thinks theres a hidden message too. I've got to get there first; I want to be the one to catch Kira! It's good to be working with L but he still doesn't trust me, I have to prove myself to him. He thinks I'm Kira and I'm going to give the other Kira photos of the team. (not ones of him though, he really does think ahead). Still the most terrible thing that could happen right now is if those two join forces, his brains and her extra powers, it has to be prevented.

I needed to protect myself and Matsuda from Kira, whilst out investigating in Aoyama and Shibuya so I invited my new college friends. That way we would all be safe, both Kiras would just see a group of teenagers out for the day. 'See L, I can do undercover work too.' However we saw no one on either day, with note books or summer clothes, had we decoded the diary wrong?

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Another message. No! They found each other! In Aoyama? But I didn't see anything, how did they meet? They were both there; we could have past one another in the street! This is bad, what if they now join forces, Kira could move in on L and me at anytime.

What is the second Kira's motivation by this message, surely she knows it would be best for the police not to know they've met. Is she really that stupid? Or just trying to get them both caught? Ryuzaki's got the right idea, we've got to stop them working together. We're going to send a message from the police to the second Kira offering a deal; Kira's name for her freedom. This is the worst possible situation. With the offer maybe the second Kira will give herself in and tell us who the first Kira is. This is terrible I've got to stop the two of them meeting… the second Kira mustn't meet….mustn't be cau…ght meet…L…Ryuzaki…me…Kira. …But theres nothing I can do now.

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Why did that girl come to my house? Wants to be my girlfriend? I know I'm popular with girls but this is ridiculous! I've never even met her before. Although she is kind of cute, a bit gothy and acts dumb, but a good artist and actually…she isn't all that stupid. (Why do girls always act dumb and ditzy, it's so irritating.) Gah! She's so pushy! I don't have the time for dating, I've got to work on the case. Thank god Mum's here to send her home. I couldn't take much more of that, she feels so threatening.

A model huh? Wow she's pretty famous, teen magazines, fashion, TV she's all over the place. But I thought teenage boys stalked models, not the other way around! Her parents were killed by a burglar and he was killed by Kira, Shit! L's gonna think waaaay to much of this. As they say 'there's no such thing as coincidences', he's going to be all over me for this, better keep it quiet. At least Sayu and Mum won't talk but who knows what Misa'll do.

Oops! I forgot I agreed to go out with Takada too, I hope the two of them don't meet.

The Second Kira sent the 'final' message the next day. It was bad. All our fears and worries had been realised in one horrible instant. L could sense in the message the joining forces of the two Kiras. It was as though the message had been directly dictated by the first Kira himself.

This and L's continued accusations were really having a toll on my dad, I can't even talk about Kira in the first person without him worrying. He's lost so much weight since the case started and he's really starting to go grey now… not to mention the heart attack. I thought he would have been proud with the effort I'm making to help the case, yet L keeps upsetting him with his constant accusations.

But at least he 'doesn't want me to be Kira,' very nice Ryuzaki I'm touched.

I'm his 'very first friend,' wow that's really…sad I guess, though frankly, quite understandable if he treats everyone like this. 'We're not friends Ryuzaki – I'm networking' having worked for you will look great on my CV, although I won't mind playing tennis with you again, I had a great time… beating the world's best detective certainly had nothing to do with it…

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Gah! Is Misa stalking me? What sort of bizarre role reversal is this? Models stalking guys! I seriously want to punch her, surely there are some situations in which you can hit a girl. Yet for some reason once I get her home I'm really glad she came. I feel so relieved, like a huge problem is just about to be taken care of. I guess that's why I kissed her. It shut her up though; I'll have to remember that. Damn why do I have four girlfriends anyway, they're so much trouble.

Ryuga – my 'new best friend' turned up to college the very next day. He's very brave, or more likely, foolhardy, to walk around in the open with two Kiras on the loose.

Nope, he's not brave this is just another Light-is-Kira test, also a convenient Kira protection- if he's killed soon,

"I've told Yagami-san, the task force members, and the other Ls to assume that you're Kira."

Other Ls! He isn't even the real thing, no he's just trying to mess with me.

This would be a very good stratergy – if only he wasn't directing it at the wrong person.

Misa! Whats that idiot doing here? What if she's seen by Takada!

Why's L so interested in her? Maybe for once he's not thinking about Kira. If he's never had a friend before, I doubt he's ever had a girlfriend.

"I'm so jealous." Yup I knew it! He knows her? What a weirdo! Everyone seems to know her, damn Takada's gonna find out about this for sure!

Erh! Ryuga's such a pervert, groping her ass, it's disgraceful really for him of all people to act like that.

Her manager's taken her away at last! I'd better call her and…something…

Why did Ryuga take her phone? When did he take it and why? This is so annoying …for some reason. Oh well I'll just call her other phone, because this is important, I think.

Ryuga gets a call. "Misa Amane has been apprehended on suspicion of being the Second Kira" WHAT?! Why?! … Her!? She cant be a Kira! She's too stupid to be Kira! But he has evidence, physical evidence, cat hair and fibres; she's the second Kira?

When did he start suspecting her? ……This is amazing! We've finally caught one of them! Now we'll know how they do it!

Wait! Oh shit! This isn't going to look so good for me is it? My new girlfriend (the Second Kira?) is dating L's favourite Kira suspect. It's not going to take Matsuda to add 2 and 2 together to get 5 now is it? 'Ryuzaki, I know what this looks like but you're about to make a huge mistake…'

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The next few days are a blur to me. I was sick with fear, worried that at any moment the police or my dad…my dad would march up to my room and arrest me. L had banned me from going to the hotel, so I now knew for certain which line of investigation he was now following. Light Yagami is Kira. Even after all this time of working beside him, L still thought, that I could be Kira. It was humiliating knowing that they thought that little of me that they thought I could do this…

Ryuzaki had been using me the whole time, he was never interested in my help or abilities or even my 'friendship.' He was and still is trying to pin the world's greatest crime on me.

What should I do? What does an innocent person do in this situation?

I admit there's a lot of unfortunate coincidences but I really am just trying to help solve this case.

Come on Ryuzaki, L, realise that Light Yagami is Kira just as 2 + 2 5!

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I suppose it must have seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I realise how stupid of me it was. I asked L to confine me. And not let me out. Maybe I thought he'd realise I wasn't Kira when deaths carried on regardless of my confinement, that if he could watch me 24 hours a day, whilst I had no access to the outside world my innocence would be proven to him.

That was a mistake! The day I was confined the deaths stopped. In the minds of L and the investigators I was Kira.…what if I am Kira? No! I know I'm not, I wouldn't do this. Then the only explanation is that Kira knows that I confined and is trying to blame me. I'm being framed! It's the only explanation! Kira must be in the task force, or watching me closely. Why won't L understand?

I eventually gave up trying to convince L to let me out. It was obvious I wouldn't be leaving that cell until I either confessed or died.

I've no idea how long I spent in there bound and handcuffed as without a window I had no reference to natural light. I suppose number of meals divided by three would give a reasonable approximation of the number of days, but after about 30 meals worth of time I lost interest in eating and then lost count. My weight dropped considerably from this, not that it was very high to begin with, and it probably all went from muscle weight. It took years of tennis training to get into shape, all wasted. The boredom of that cell and the blinking red light of the camera were crushing, no doubt my brain cells have died from lack of use. I dearly wished for it to be over, one way or another. I didn't care, thinking even conviction and execution would be preferable to this half life in a rotting cell.

Little did I know I'd get it both ways. Trust L to be difficult.

I was executed by my father and then freed……

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"And Light-kun as I also promised, you and I will work together on solving this case."

After everything he's done to me, destroying my reputation, harming my family and torturing my sanity; Kira is going to pay.

"You got it, Ryuzaki! Let's catch Kira together!"

* * *

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**A construction site**.

"I'm sorry Tanaka-san but we can't finish the main bedrooms until the service lifts fixed, sir."

"Damn it! This is really putting us behind schedule. What paranoid madman designed this building?"

"Sir, it's the security matrix, everything's wired in and synchronised to the central control unit, and after the lighting boys tripped the fuses last week the whole lot's on the fritz."

"Jeeze, can't flush a toilet in this place without permission from the boss, I'm just going to have to tell the clients we're gonna be delayed again. Where's that techie guy? And the security man? Get them here right now!"

* * *

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**A room with an 8 sided table.**

"Who shall we kill?"

**\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\**


	6. Watched

Just made it. One day longer and I wouldn't have updated in a month. Has everyone enjoyed the holiday season? I didn't get to so much, been in bed most of the time with mumps. So not only do I feel crappy I know look like a hamster. Missed new year's by spending the night groaning in pain. Yuck enough of that here's the new chapter. I hope you enjoy it, its quite different from some of the others previously, I've now completely left cannon behind (literally, I left my copy in halls for the holiday). I've moved the story on quite a bit, hopefully its not gone to far. Well read it and tell me what you think.

* * *

Camera #4 was outputting on the main display. It showed the secure entrance to the building form the underground car park. Camera #17 recorded the south entrance to the car park.

Cameras #16 to #23 were watching the delivery men bring out their final boxes, place them in the service elevator and leave. Shortly after their van passed under the gaze of #15 (north exit) 2 cars with blacked out windows showed on camera #17. They drove silently through the car park where they stopped under #4. 2 drivers got out and opened their passenger's doors. Under the faint glow of the screens in the control room a young man watched 8 people and several boxes got out and moved toward the doorway.

He could write in the notebook if he wanted to. He is desperate for at least 3 of these men to die in horrific ways. So, knowing he'd be tempted, the notebook has been locked away. Now is his time to watch.

He is not disappointed by his choice, 'after all these years…' First in line is the old man, Wammy, then the idiot, who's become hyper with excitement. Behind him, and telling him of is Afro 'I'd forgotten how silly he used to look'. Then came 'tall and silent' walking next to him,…dad…daddy.

He took a deep breath to crush the welling doubt. 'he will not be hurt, if I can avoid it'. The bimbo was next flouncing along like the drama queen she was, angry at the unfairness of it all and the lack of offers to carry her bags.

Trailing behind them and already discussing the case is tragic prince chained to a monkey. Under camera #4 the prince is tired and thin, dragged behind a slovenly hunchback by chain on his wrist that's completely …absent?

"Oh wow, I really have messed things up now haven't I?" said Kira.

* * *

Light was very impressed with the new head quarters. 23 stories of high tech detectiveness, with a basement and 2 helicopters, … now if only all the lights worked! Still it was a building straight out of his dreams, automated, computerised and above all, shiny. The only thing wrong with the dream was that silly Gothic L on the screens, replacing the moon kanji. "When I design my HQ, …

It was (almost) perfect and as such the complete opposite of a normal police office, missing the yellowing paperwork, encrusted coffee mugs and that mysterious smell from the air con that defined his dad's place of work.

This wouldn't be like a normal police investigation, rules would be broken, liberties would be taken and not only would things not 'be done by the book' the book in question would be tossed in the shredder and used to fuel the fire of justice. It was going to be so cool! Never would Light get the chance to work like this, with this freedom and this opportunity. His enthusiasm could barely be contained, ever since L had finally allowed him _on_ the case rather then just _under_ its scrutiny. Although a few unkind comparisons to Matsuda from the team had somewhat dampened his outward signs of excitement, and of course L's continued accusations hadn't been all that encouraging.

Still, the true investigation was finally underway. Light had suffered for so long in that terrible, lonely cell under a suffocating suspicion, he felt that now he'd been freed he deserved a reward, and this was it. For now Yagami Light was part of L's team, in their shiny new investigation centre. He was technically working _for_ L (not that he was being paid…or in fact had any choice in the matter) but Light was sure that once they began working side by side with Light putting his all in, L would come to realise Light's abilities (shown in stark contrast against those of the 'experienced team') were on a par with his own. It was only a matter of time Light believed, before he was working _with_ L. Not the best state of affairs but a better one.

Looking around his new home/workspace, secret lair or the 'L cave', Light though all they needed now were spandex uniforms or handy gadgets to be real 'secret agent men'. Though Light's James Bond fantasies seemed incongruous when viewed with L in mind, who was, disappointingly the real deal. L, known not by a number but by a letter, world renowned yet completely anonymous. An eccentric genius, a crime fighting super hero but Light doubted whether L ever seduced any super models, survived shoot-outs with enemy combatants or daringly escaped large explosions. He was the sort of secret agent who sat around eating éclairs starring at his suspect until he gave in and confessed out of shear boredom. Still L was kind of cool, once you got use to him and he stopped accusing you of international mass murder. And if L wanted to be friends, Light wouldn't mind especially if they got to play tennis again or maybe talk about something other than the whole Kira business.

However Light wasn't sure if friends were meant to electronically tag friends. For a start it completely ruined his secret agent image. The tag took the form of a wide, thick, plastic-coated, deceptively heavy band around his right wrist. It would tell L and Watari his current location, what he'd been doing there and said, his blood pressure and heart rate; destroying any relics of his non existent privacy and coincidentally making it very tricky for Light to wear this season's tight ¾ length shirts and blazer jackets!

Beyond the tag he wouldn't be allowed to leave the building, would be monitored constantly and allowed no independent communication with the outside world. His room would be next door to Ryuzaki's on the 5th floor, far away from the others who were to be housed on the 20th floor up. Yet, this was freedom compared to the cell, at least now he was able to walk around, wash and change when ever he wanted to. L would never be far away but there would be other people to talk to and work to be done.

"This is the central working area, all the computers are connected to the ICPO network and the Interpol databases. The door on the left leads to the street-level secure entrance, you'll need these key cards, they have your room numbers on in red….no the other way up Matsuda-san. Yagami-kun, Amane-san, neither or your key cards work on he main door ways, and should your wristband come with in 2 meters of a restricted area the alarm will sound and there is the possibility a small electric shock…entirely safe of course Yagami-san… Amane-san your band will be removed for your 'excursions' and a smaller unit…"

Watari was giving the team the tour of the building but Light was for too tired to pay much attention, (just listening to the important points as surprise electric shocks weren't going to be fun). He'd spent several weeks with his legs bound together; all this walking around was wearing them out. It seemed that everyone except Aizawa, would be moving in tomorrow after going home for supplies.

Misa was impressed with her rooms but was already making decorating suggestions and offering Light the use her shower if the one in his room wasn't working yet. Whence L tersely informed her that whilst parts if the building weren't quite complete he'd thoughtfully assigned them fully functioning rooms and that his two suspects couldn't possibly be left alone unchaperoned. They returned to the tour, leaving Misa yelling pervert accusations at their backs, and vowing to pass any obstacle to be with her true love. Light stared at the floor, refusing to meet their eyes as the lift descended, a pink blush staining his cheeks.

"Whilst the main kitchens and dining room is on the 22nd floor there is a small pantry and tea room above the main room. Also up the glass staircase are 3 meeting rooms and a filling room. The floor above is mostly disused but can become a lab and evidence room, should the need arrive. Caterers and cleaners, all vetted, will arrive by the tradesman's entrance, using only the service elevator and as such you should never have to come in to contact with them. I, myself, will live and work, as it were, in the control room. The room's location is secret; accessible only to myself and Ryuzaki via a separate elevator…"

"Yes, I designed this building specifically with Kira in mind. I've commissioned other buildings before, for other criminals and mainly for convenience's sake but this is the first time I've gone this far with the security. But then this is the first time I and my team have been direct targets, and from a criminal who doesn't need to physically do _anything_ to harm us. However, just in case everything and everyone coming into the building will be checked for explosives, nuclear and biological hazards. The building can survive a Richter 9 earthquake and direct impact from a typhoon, it has its own air supply and multiple electrical generators, should the need arise. And with the food and water reserves filled, this building and up to 60 occupants should survive up to 3 months under siege conditions- "

"Wow! Are we going to need all of that?" Ryuzaki looked perplexed as Matsuda interrupted his flow.

"Well of course, we have to be prepared for any…"

"For what? Invasion? Nuclear winter? Aliens? Kira is one man, who needs only a photograph to kill, not a force of nature or a medieval army with siege cannons! And how are we going to _survive a siege _without bed sheets or flushing toilets and wires hanging all over the place. We're more likely to die from tripping or falling down the stairs that by heart attack here!"

"You seem to know a lot about Kira, Yagami-kun…" Both Yagamis glared at him but Light had a point, the building was obviously not finished. There were still plastic wraps over half the stuff, Styrofoam packaging and polystyrene chippings formed heaps and dunes around the room. Matsuda had sequestered some of the large amount of bubble wrap for his own amusement and was popping happily to himself.

"Nether the less, barring a few stock issues, this building is prepared for any eventuality no matter how small the risk might be! Kira might not have control over earthquakes, but he is as dangerous. Whilst his supporters are not a 'medieval army' should he be able to mobilise them into action, you will be very grateful for the consideration and foresight I showed in designing this building. The terror known as Kira will be stopped and this is the place where it will happen! Here, where we are safe to work. Working efficiently and quickly, without fear or the worry that Kira may strike us down at random. You may call me paranoid if you like but I believe in the months to come my caution and protections will prove to be entirely justified!" Annoyed with all the doubting comments and speculative looks from the team L stormed over toward the main computer bank.

"Kira is the ultimate evil and I will catch him. Outside he is vulnerable and alone, inside we are protected from him and completely safe!" He, triumphant in making his point, slammed down in a chair, still covered in plastic and with one wheel not screwed on. Physics occurred. The chair pitched sideways, his jeans sliding across the plastic made an obscene noise and L, the world's greatest detective, was thrown into a pile of polystyrene packaging with a very undignified yelp.

An embarrassed silence filled the room. Then someone laughed, and someone else thumped that person.

* * *

Save as

'hmmmm… "Ryuzaki – too smart for his own good"? "Chair acrobatics"? or "How wrong can you be?"'

Save Cancel

After he'd managed to stop laughing and calm down Light decided that the events depicted on camera # 72 were to wonderful to be lost. He settled on calling the file 'Chair acrobatics' because whilst Ryuzaki's pointless paranoia was amusing his facial expressions as he went down were priceless. Light even cut in footage from cameras#73 and #69 to cover all the angles, L's desperate grasp for the desk, his feet flying upwards and of course the small shower of polystyrene thrown up by his landing.

Even now on the live feed, he still had some lodged in his hair. Watari was attempting to brush it out and check over his boss at the same time, whilst a shaken Ryuzaki was trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and the chair and regain some of his lost dignity.

Play

Laughter once again broke out in the parasitic control room. It was boyish laughter, good humoured and light which only grew stronger as the video was played in reverse. However a thought occurred to him, the increased pace of deaths must really be effecting L, as Light didn't remember him being any where near this paranoid last time.

So concerned with Kira's actions L had been in almost daily contact with his engineers and construction managers, changing and modifying the plans and design of the building and its security. Light was thankful for that, with all the confusion and upheaval on the site the intelligent and insightful Kagami-san had become everybody's new best friend. A mere techy, but very able when it came to tricky building plans, and who but Tarou-kun would've come up with a way to hide that huge balls-up? The casting team almost cried when they realised they'd got a completely different set of plans to everyone else and had put in that fourth elevator shaft when there should've only been 3. Tarou-kun had shown them how to hide it, so everything was ok then, right? How those simpletons had made him laugh!

Kira was glad that the team had finally taken up residence in the building; before now it would have looked suspicious if this building had accessed the Interpol prison databases and he'd had to make do with criminal who made the news. "Thanks, Ryu" and fun over Light went and got his note book and proceeded to get on with his real work, making the world a better place.

* * *

Ryuzaki had dismissed the team pretty quickly after that. Light hoped his dad would be able to read his list, as Ryuzaki hadn't given him much time to write it. Now that he was out of confinement he wanted to enjoy being himself again. His father often worried about the seemingly excessive time and effort Light made on his appearance, but he could hardly argue with the results; universal popularity with anything in a skirt, a phone book so full he'd had to buy another phone just to cope and now supermodes and teen idols stalking him. OK there was only one of them and there was probably something wrong with Misa. Still he was handsome, highly fashionable and charming, whatever his father thought about hair dye and fake tan making him gay. In rights, his farther should be proud of him, just because in his day men were supposed to be ruff, hairy and smell foul, didn't mean Light wasn't at the cutting edge of fashion.

Once the team were gone, Ryuzaki suggested that Light might like to see his room although he'd heard him 'suggesting' to Watari that he might like to get the cleaners in after he'd returned from buying some of the more urgent missing items. 'At lease I'll have something to sleep on' thought Light as Ryuzaki lead him upstairs. "This will be Yagami-kun's room. Watari will bring food down later…"

"umm… thanks" there was an embarrassed silence as Light wondered what he was meant to be doing and when Ruzaki would notice he was blocking the door way.

"I hope it's suitable, it's a bit bigger than your one at home and…"

"Right, yes, I'm sure it'll be perfect"… 'if you ever let me go inside' What was Ruzaki hanging around for? Couldn't he see Light was tired and just wanted to sleep?

"Yagami-kun should get an early night, so we can get started early tomorrow on the….What are you doing…?" Ruzaki had almost squeaked as Light had suddenly lean forward once hand outstretched to ward his face. The hand touched Ruzaki's cheek, it slid slowly upward towards his hair line and Ryuzaki gasped. The hand retracted, Ryuzaki opened his eyes (when had they closed?) to see in the palm of Light's hand…the piece of polystyrene he'd just fished from his hair. "oh"

"Goodnight Ryuzaki-san" and using Ryuzaki's stunned confusion he slipped past him into the room, shutting the door behind him. 'What a freak!' thought Light moments later when he heard a nearby door slamming

* * *

'What a freak!' thought Kira as on the monitors L leaned back against his door, face bright red, the piece of polystyrene clutched in his hand. 'Never did like being touched', he was almost done for the night, just going to check on Higuchi before getting a few hours sleep. With all the cleaners and workmen out in the main room, he thought he might try sneaking out for food, but Watari was watching them like a hawk, making sure they got every bit of packaging off the floor.

* * *

Ryuk was worried, although doing his best not to show it. He was currently bitching at Light to go get him an apple without much success.

He didn't actually want an apple, as surprising as that was, he actually just wanted to get out of this room. The parasitic control room had been built to allow one man to hide in absolute secrecy and control the building. As such it was tiny, a small hollow between the 17th and 18th floors, covered in monitors, computers and other unapple-like things that Ryuk wasn't interested in. Below the room was another, smaller hollow in which Light had squeezed a small camp bed and everything else he needed to call the place home. As you can imagine this living situation isn't conducive to an 8ft tall, broad shouldered Shinigami. He couldn't all be in the room at once, so when he complained about his lack of apples what he really wanted was to see his feet again. Or to fly, flying right now would really help him think and after today he had a lot to think about.

Like why there were two Lights. Normally Ryuk would put anything strange like this to humans being humans, but this was different. Ryuk was sure Light would have mentioned having an identical twin by now. How did he know so much? Like, how did he know when he first drove into this building site that it would one day be inhabited by L? How had he escaped the confinement? Why did he laugh at Ryuk's jokes now? He never used to, and not in that terrible polite laugh. Ryuk didn't like it. Light always used to share his grand plans with Ryuk, now he would barley tell him what was going on. It wasn't fair for Light to get all the fun and he certainly did a lot of laughing these days.

* * *

Light's new room was large and mostly empty. An unmade double bed was on the far side of the room, with a wardrobe and chest of draws opposite the bed and on the wall next to the door was a large fall sized mirror. The on suite bathroom yielded a western toilet, sink and separate bath and shower stall, however the bath had yet to be connected to anything and the bathroom cabinet was still flat packed in a box propped up against the toilet. The shower appeared to be working, although 'working' meant a random ultimating pattern of 'scaldingly hot' and 'buttock-clenchingly cold' with only a few seconds of 'pleasant' to fool you in to relaxing or get the shampoo in, before in flipped back to one of its preferred locations.

After surviving that exciting experience he exited the bathroom, towel round waist, coming face to face with the large mirror, and had the normal reaction to someone unexpectedly presented with an image of their less than perfect self. "Urgh!" Sitting still for weeks on end had not had a positive effect on his body. He was thinner certainly, but not in a good way. Where before had been a perfectly toned, slim sex god now stood a skinny, pale, lifeless weakling. "yuck". His roots were showing through, so he added hair dye to the list of things his farther needed to buy, as well as his expensive shampoo and conditioner, favourite shower gel and some…, gazing at that pale expanse of horribleness, very strong fake tan. He wouldn't be able to get his trim'n'toned self back for a while but the fake tan would get rid of the 'kept in a cave' look he was currently sporting and L seemed so fond of. He'd need scissors too, before his perfect hair style disintegrated into that nightmare that sprouted from L's head.

Oh god! Look at his arse! Where had his tight, tennis trained bum gone? He'd looked amazing in fitted pants and girls had always loved pinching his arse… this was an emergency! Did L include a gym in this building, with all the other useless crap this place contained surely it would have a gym… or tennis court! He'd get L to play tennis with him, screw the case there were more important things at stake here! … ok that was probably a little excessive but didn't they say exercise improved thinking, he'd just have to suggest it to L that way.

Leaning in close to the mirror Light noticed something else horrific …blackheads "ewww!". He'd never had a spot in his life, why did it have to start now? Well what did he expect when force to sit in his own sweat, bound in a cell, no moisturiser or exfoliant in sight? It was as he stood there examining the damage to his complexion close up, that Light noticed something else, at first he was confused, convinced his eyes had to be lying to him, it just wasn't possible.

Like a snake his right arm shot out and flipped the light switch, plunging his room into darkness, revealing on the other side of the two-way mirror frozen in horror, eyes wide and thumb in mouth L standing a few feet away from where Light had been examining his own arse.

"Bollocks!" said L.

* * *

Well what do you think? Is L to much of a pervert? Should light stop being so oblivious? Or quite so vain? There was a lot of Light's perspective today…only a tiny bit of Ryuk, cos I realised we hadn't heard from him in a while.

I just noticed last time I promised L would get to eat some cake in this chapter…turns out i couldn't fit it in… I feel bad now. OK homework everyone: imagine L eating some cake. Go on make his day.

Review please

xxx


	7. The next morning

Good afternoon everyone, I will now bring you the latest instalment of 'The Two Lights'. Did everyone do their homework?

Is it just me or have none of the good fics been updated recently? In maybe a week and a half… I've been so depressed…has everyone gone off death note or something?

That's why I've been quick to update my humble offering; hopefully it'll encourage the others to get back to work…the lazy bastards!

Anyhow… thanks for all the review guys, I really appreciate it. I'm glad everyone likes L's shenanigans I was kind of worried about it and what I had to write to get it to work. Here's a hint if you're reading a long and detailed, slightly ooc paragraph or speech it usually means your coming up to a gag that needed time to build.

Seems I can't get rid of them… I'm trying to write a serious, dark, fast passed action thriller but the gags and unnecessary detail keep creeping in. sigh I'll get the balance right soon.

To the people who said they're finding it a little confusing, could you possibly elaborate? I can't improve if I don' know whats wrong. Is it my use of 'Light' for both past and present Lights? I think you should be able to tell from context, but then I'm writing the damn thing and know whats going on, so I'm not the best judge on that. I'm trying to reserve the use of Kira for when Light's being particularly evil and I don't really want to use 'Raito' to differentiate them. To me they're both 'Light', just at different levels of mental development. Or is it perhaps my grammar, shite as it is? It's the thing that word can't correct me on and I rarely spot it myself, I always write how I speak…hence a lot of dot dot dots, cos you don't always finish a sentence before a new thought occurs…I also have a problem with full stops, when and where to use them, I end up with paragraph long sentences desperately trying to break it up to something sensible with out the whole thing falling apart, this sentence for example has been going on for 6 lines now…damn!

Just a little reminder then we'll get on with the main even.

"Is L too much of a pervert? Should Light stop being so oblivious (to L's attraction)? Or quite so vain?" And will things ever be as simple as at first they appear?... of course not!

* * *

Like a snake his right arm shot out and flipped the light switch, plunging his room into darkness, revealing on the other side of the two-way mirror frozen in horror, eyes wide and thumb in mouth L, standing a few feet away from where Light had been examining his own arse.

"Bollocks!" said L.

* * *

The next morning.

"I completely fail to see why you're upset about this."

"Did I not mention the 'being monitored at all times' part of the deal?"

"Me detective, you suspect. It's elementary my dear Yagami-kun." Ryuzaki grinned at him.

"um… that was a joke…errrr… I don't know if you've heard of…" he gave up as Light glared up at him from his breakfast.

"Come on! You weren't upset about me watching you for a week, why is this any different?"

"You did a lot more on camera than you did last night, and your farther was watching too… I mean, you just looked at yourself in the mirror…you had a towel on… most of the time… I've seen it all before anyway… but you're right you could do with some exercise…"

Light furiously attacked his toast causing Ryuzaki to fall silent. He felt this whole conversation was redundant, if Light was the adult he pretended to be he would have understood and let it slide. He decided to try something else.

"I'm er sorry about your hand… I didn't realise my face was so hard." That was it, and with a slight half smirk on his face Light finally looked at him.

"Shut up Ryuzaki-san, haven't we got work to do?"

* * *

He liked Light. Ryuzaki understood that much from the complicated thoughts rushing around his brain, but anything beyond that had yet to be deciphered.

'Why did he like Light?' He was most certainly Kira, a mass murderer with a god complex - not the most likable of personality types. He was also arrogant, vane, condescending, overconfident and talked far too much.

"Liked"?… as a friend? … Respected as an equal? Something else? L didn't think about these things. L was a professional, a highly intelligent detective; always _im_personal.

Ryuzaki on the other hand, was feeling very 'personal' indeed. He was used to Watari being his only contact with the rest of his species for moths on end. A year even. Ryuzaki was sure that during that very tricky embezzlement case in Sweden he'd spent his 20th year alone with his laptop and assistant in the various hotels of Stockholm.

But on this case… he had to meet with police before, when the situation required it, but never as L.

But on this case… he _needed _the police; he'd invited them to his hotel and into his life, meeting with them on a daily basis, even caring about their opinions! (Though only vaguely, he was still L). Then he had joined a university – just to meet a suspect!

Watari understood him, or had at least worked for him so long that he could deal with Ryuzaki's lifestyle and lack of social ability. The team too, he could work with, sure they were annoying and painfully slow but they had the manpower and resources to make them worth putting up with. Light on the other hand…

Light was intelligent. His perfect university grades only put a number to something you new within moments of speaking with him. L was itching to set him a real IQ test (one of Wammy's creations designed to differentiate between those who couldn't be measured with normal tests.) What would it show? Higher, lower and by how much? Even if Light beat his score it wouldn't make him interesting. L had met many intelligent people in his life, some so 'intelligent' he'd felt simple in their presence. One man, for example, was fluent in 30 languages and could multiply telephone numbers in his head yet needed an assistant to get him dressed in the mornings. Intelligent was normal for L, average and boring.

Light was friendly. He may not have been a super genius but he had his head screwed on right. It's a sad fact that people of higher intelligence tend to have lower common sense and emotional intelligence. To be of his level yet to still be able to partake in normal life seemed strange to Ryuzaki; having spent part of his childhood in an orphanage for children too intelligent to be aloud out. Light had friends, was the most popular guy at school, and even had hot girls asking him out! To Ryuzaki, having spent another part of his childhood in an orphanage for _normal _children, it just didn't make sense.

Light was attractive. L wasn't completely unaware of what his species considered desirable but this was the first time he'd thought about it, rather than just accept the general consensus. He actually thought about it a lot, in fact he thought about it slightly more than he though about strawberry shortcake (not as much as Kira, he was a _professional_ after all). He thought Light's eyes, his hair, how well he wore his clothes and how good he looked without them and Ryuzaki hated every bit of him, from that poncy hairstyle to his designer shoes and socks (who wears designer socks!?). L hated his charming smile and confident laugh that lit up that perfect angelic face and belied the evil within.

Light arrogantly insinuated his way through life, with a smile for every occasion, how could he not succeed? He weaved dreams and delusions around everyone he met, dazzling them with his 'brilliance'. How could this charming, handsome policeman's son possibly be Kira? Evil people were ugly and dark, whilst Light was light…

Whatever his feelings toward Light, L new they were inconsequential. No matter how intelligent, friendly or attractive he was it didn't matter, because, as he yelled at his thoughts, he was a murderer, he was Kira. Looking good in a towel would not protect him from justice, good grades would not exonerate Light from murder and no amount of friendly smiles and tennis matches would prevent L from doing his duty. Whilst he could dazzle and confuse other, L wasn't yet blind to his faults and could still see him for what he was. Nothing mattered, except justice. These new feelings would just have to return from whence the came, L had a name to uphold.

Determined and with mind settled the detective barged past his suspect and into the waiting elevator. Ryuzaki noting as he passed Light's very attractive cologne.

'Damn. Forgot to mention how nice he smelt.'

* * *

"Are we sure Kira's on our side?"

"Well of course he is Ooi, he kills whoever we tell him to"

"No not that one, the other one. We agreed to kill no more than 10 people for economic reasons a month, and less than 100 criminal a week to cover up anything suspicious, but Kira goes over that limit at least every two days?"

"Mido its obvious that the original is a nut job, why would he kill criminal when he could be smart and make money like us?"

"Must everything be about money for you?"

"Look Namikawa we've got a really sweat deal here, all we have to do is not piss the guy off and we'll be fine."

"Well if you're sure… maybe we should try to get a message to him."

"Why? L will be so busy chasing him, he'll never notice us."

* * *

Eyebrows were raised at Ryuzaki's bruised face and Lights bandaged hand, but stares from both of them consigned the issue to 'none of your business' and 'things that shall not be mentioned'. The team had just returned for the morning session, bags at their heels. Light rushing over to rummage through his ration of beauty products, looking for moisturiser or his hair brush at least!

"Yagami-kun shows an unnatural concern for his appearance. One might think…"

"Oh go on! Turn that into a Kira theory. Dying my hair obviously shows a great desire to have criminals 'dieing' and by brushing it more than once a month, clearly proves I want to 'brush' evil out of society!"

'Ahh' thought the team, 'that's what this is about'. Light stomped of to a shiny glass partition, brush in hand and got to work in front of his impromptu mirror (reassuringly transparent), leaving L standing alone in the middle of the room.

"Well then, let us begin."

It had come to the moment L was dreading: the start of the investigation. They were expecting him to lead them, to inform and instruct them, and he had no idea where to begin. So sure had he been that Light was Kira, L was lost. Where to now? They had no new leads and, he, no new theories. What could they do? Wait until Kira made a mistake? He liked his original theory so much he was loathed to forget it and come up with another.

He just needed to think, by himself and come up with a new lead. That's when he needed a team, not now, not when any of them couldn't connect the dots in the data. 'Ok, give them something to do, grunt work, anything so I can work.'

"We're going to have to start all over again. So what do we know? There is (at least 1, maybe 2) people who can kill anyone they so wish without contact, as long as they know what they look like. Previously it seemed as though Kira needed to know the name of the victim, but since Sakura TV that no longer appears to be mandatory. I'm curious to know weather this is still the case, Mogi-san, I would like you to look in to that. Look for gaps in the victim lists where criminals Kira would normal target have not been killed and there is a possibility of an alias being used. Or if just the photograph is shown, does that person subsequently die?

For that matter we need to know what sort of criminals Kira considers evil enough to kill. We want to build up the 'moral code' of Kira, as it may lead to a physiological profile of Kira himself."

"How? Doesn't he just kill whoever's in the news?" said Matsuda.

"Let us suppose Kira always kills paedophiles and child abusers, we might then infer that Kira is a victim of one of those crimes, narrowing down our search. Or perhaps Kira doesn't kill racists or abusive husbands suggesting he doesn't see those as crimes worthy of death and is, himself, a racist misogynist etc. It will also be useful to know when Kira diverts from his moral standards, as I believe he did when he killed a pickpocket and an embezzler, symptomatic of him being under pressure to kill, perhaps because he is being watched and wants to…"

"Ryuzaki!"

"Yes Yagami-san? Oh! Right, no accusing Yagami-kun before your morning coffee, I forgot. But it's an interesting point don't you think, Yagami-kun?... You're glowering at me? You are still my suspect you know! …. Well I'll leave the task up to you, Yagami-san and Aizawa-san. Don't forget to take a look at weather there has been a change in Kira's moral code since, say, Yagami-kun and Amane-san were confined and the deaths returned, caused by … perhaps different Kiras?...Oww!"

A hairbrush had collided with the side of his face.

"That wasn't very nice, Yagami-kun. I thought we were friends."

"You basta…"

"Ryuzaki! Ryuzaki! You forgot me, what should I do?" Matsuda hurriedly interrupted what was quickly about to descend into all-out warfare.

"ummm" Turning away from Light, L tried to regain the thread of the conversation or failing that, inspiration. His gaze fell on Light's watch.

"Time" he said. "When does he kill? Kira has before shown he can set the time of death whenever he likes, but he didn't always. I'm hypothesising that setting the time of death, and controlling their actions, is slightly more difficult then not, more time consuming perhaps. So I'm wondering if, now the pressure is off slightly, can Kira be bothered? If not, we can begin to build up his working schedule again, which proved very useful last time. Then I'd like to know the time difference between consecutive victims (prison victims will have most accurate TODs), and the lag between a newly announced criminal appearing in the media and their death. Both will give us a clue to what Kira has to do and how long it takes to have its affect. We know from Lind L Tailor and Sakura TV that it is a matter of minutes not hours but a definite number would be useful."

Looking at the worried expression on Matsuda's face. "Just input the data on an excel spreadsheet and make a few graphs… Yagami-kun will give you a hand in interpretation and extrapolation."

The team gave a collective sigh and made their way toward the computers.

"…That is of course, after he completes a short test I prepared in order to gauge his moral opinions."

The investigation had begun.

* * *

Up in the dark control room Light released his breath. 'Wow' L was a sharp one. They wouldn't discover anything too crucial but still… 'He didn't do this last time…'. Last time L had been too 'depressed' to work at this point, leaving the team to amuse themselves.

Light could see now why L was considered the world's best detective, he looked for the holes in the case and attempted to fill them with knowledge He slowly chipped away at the huge mountain of the unknown breaking the huge question "Who is Kira?" into pebble sized questions that even Matsuda could solve.

It would all be useless in the end though, L was up against a far greater power. Knowing what time Kira went to bed wouldn't help when Kira already controlled every aspect of your life.

And besides he wasn't going to make the same 'mistake' again. He wouldn't to change a thing, but wielding justice as he always had, who cares if they knew it took 40 seconds and he didn't have the shinigami eyes? L was only going to 'prove' that 'Light' wasn't Kira because his 'morality' hadn't changed.

"Ha! L you should never have challenged a god!"

The Shinigami laughed too. "Kyuk, Kyuk, Kyuk, fat lot of good that's gonna do you L we heard everything you said!"

Kira turned and fixed the Shinigami with a red stare.

"Be Silent!"

* * *

_thwak_

_Run _huff

_thwak_

"Go Raito!"

It wasn't tennis as such, but since it was stress relieving _and _counted as a date with Misa it was still pretty good. 'Finally some exercise.'

It was fun. It was challenging. It was in fact two cardboard packaging tubes and a rubber ball in one of the unused room on the 15th floor, but that did nothing to deter the competitive spirit and masterful concentration. The carpet and lack of net made it quite tricky, but the surrounding walls, celling and lack of strict rules added a lot to the game-play experience. For example it was deemed acceptable to 'accidentally' clobber your opponent whilst swinging for the ball. Points were scored by getting the ball in one of the bins on either side of the room or by rebound off your opponent's body where the greater the impact sound the more points awarded.

Crotch shots scored triple.

huff _Run_

_thwak_

_Run_

_thwak_

_Boing_

_thump_

_"Oww!"_

"Yay! Raito!"

The ball had ricocheted of the light fitting in an odd way striking Ryuzaki right between the eyes.

"10 points to me I think."

"Raito's winning! Go, Raito, Go!"

"Amane-san is very cruel, she doesn't care at all about the pain her boyfriend inflicts on those around him." The comment had the desired effect, and with Light distracted, L rammed the end of the tube over the ball, swung his arm back to its full extension and, in a manner reminiscent of a lacrosse move, released to ball after its full over arm throw.

"Ahhh!"

Light sunk to his knees, hands firmly clasped over his groin.

"New balls, please!"

This was nothing like tennis.

"I think that 30 points might put me in the lead, Light-kun"

If only the team could see them now.

* * *

Light had carefully designed devices and programs to prevent this from happening.

'Why?'

He checked all the cameras before he left and had even locked some members of the team in their rooms.

'How?'

With his own elevator and a few hidden staircases the risk was minimal.

'No way…'

He'd come out to take a shower, get Ryuk's damn apples and just stretch his legs.

'Why now?'

His wristband automatically switched off any camera he approached. His 'mobile' should have buzzed the moment the problem arose, should have given details, and suggest an escape path before the confrontation became unstoppable.

'Its over'

…before he was standing face to face with Matsuda.

"Hi, Light-kun what are you doing down here?"

* * *

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

(did you really think i'd end it there?)

* * *

Breathbreath…calmcalm don'tstranglebastardtodeathwithowntie… becalm…heshotmekilledmestoodthereandshotmethebastartkillhimKILLHIM!

"Heh Heh…I'm…" Smile… nice smilehappy smile "getting a snack…I didn't eat enough at dinner…what about you Ma-Matsuda-san?"

"Please don't tell the others… but I keep getting lost…um What floor are we on?"

A sign a few meters behind him announced in foot high red numeral that this was the 8th floor. Light pointed this out to him but didn't trust himself to speak further.

"Oh gosh…don't I feel silly? Not like you eh? Only been here a day but I bet you know this place like the back of your hand!"

Light snorted. And Matsuda laughed too.

"I just don't get this building… all these floors with empty rooms and the staircases can be really hard to spot… like that one you just came through, only found it myself when I bent down to tie my shoes and noticed that funny bit in the carpet, really looks like any other bit of wall that door does, wonder what Ryuzaki's thinking with that. And those key card things, you need it to go anywhere or do anything, can't make the elevator open without it, and I've only gone and lost mine…Ryuzaki's gonna be so mad when he finds out! I'm too scared to tell him…do you think you could Light-kun? He likes you, and you'll just have a 'Matsuda's being stupid' laugh and no one gets yelled at."

That was it! No wonder his proximity alarm hadn't gone off, without the chip in the card the idiot didn't show up on the system.

The Kira investigation team:

0…..86 percent competent detective

0…..14 percent Matsuda.

However Light was by far the greatest idiot of all 'Why the hell didn't I consider this possibility?', but at least he was safe; idiots could be steered and he'd had a lot of practise with this one.

"I don't think you stupid Matsuda-san, you're right, this building is weird! The whole key card system is one complete design floor. Anyone could accidentally misplace their card, right, and then what? Get stuck in a disused lavatory and starve to death? Don't worry I will tell Ryuzaki exactly what I think."

"Thanks, Light-kun you're so helpful. We'd better be getting to bed; Ryuzaki wants an even earlier start tomorrow."

"Here, we can use my card to get into the elevator, so you should be able to get up to your floor, but you'll have to get dad to let you into your room, I don't have clearance for that"

He slipped his card (nominally a low authority light blue one) out of his back pocket and pushed it in to the slot by the door. The elevator arrived and Light extracted the card.

"Light-kun, when did you hand get better?"

He looked at his right hand, a hand completely free of bruising, with perfect knuckles and no bandage in sight.

FUCK!

* * *

Gasp he's in for it now!

(... decided to end it there instead... wow i'm evil)

I hope I answered all your questions. Nope, sorry, L isn't a pervert… he's a detective…doing a very difficult job!

What do you think of L's breakdown of his own thoughts? I'm trying to show him becoming attracted to Light but he's gonna have to get over himself first, get rid of that envy and jealousy before he can wake up to the awesomeeness of man-on-man action. I hope I didn't offend anyone with my talk about intelligence but I'm just trying to escape from a huge cliché of Death Note fiction, namely the 'super-special-awesome genius geniusness' that our two favourite characters are bestowed, which just isn't realistic.

Another major cliché of fic is L working Light very hard, usually not allowing him to go to bed, cos of the handcuff (another cliché I've done away with)… how many fics start off with 'Light complaining how hard the work is and being tired'? God! They're so dull! Why do people think starting with drivel about how board someone is puts me in the mood for reading a good story?

Avoiding that nightmare was part of the reason I had such a long introduction spanning the first 5 volumes of mange, and then because it helped me get back into writing after a long break…and also cos I'm hiding stuff in there for use later… heh heh I do that a lot so watch out for it.

So what did you think of this one? I've got plenty of ideas for the next chapter, just gotta get writing… but here's a deal for you:

If I get enough (30ish) maybe there'll be some hot yaoi action in the next chapter I guarantee…less then that and I'll fart around for another few chapters with more suspense and teasing…well its up to you…go!


	8. where's Matsuda?

Hey everyone. Phew I've finally updated almost pasted the two month mark with out an update, so I just had to do this today. I've been having major writer's block this term or its more I couldn't get myself in the right mood to write comedy, always having to force myself to write a sentence or two a day just to keep it moving. Well I'm not entirely happy with it in its present condition as I originally had a lot more in mind when I planned out this chapter but I reached my acceptable word count and decided to wing it and see what you guys think.

So the big question…did you guys give me enough reviews to win your prize? Read and find out.

* * *

"Light-kun, when did you hand get better?"

He looked at his right hand, a hand completely free of bruising, with perfect knuckles and no bandage in sight.

FUCK!

* * *

After 'tennis' Light and Ryuzaki had adjourned to their rooms like the rest of the team; L to analyse Light's test results and Light to work on his appearance.

Light currently stood in the bathroom, hair dye propped up against the sink, attempting the tricky mental math often necessary when using such a product. '"15 to 20 minutes if hair is no longer than 25cm from scalp to end…" but I'm only doing the roots, "5 to 8 minutes if less than 10cm but greater than 5cm…". Damn it why didn't dad get the right brand? I've been using it every 2 weeks for the last 5 years; he must have seen the bottle in the bathroom enough.'

"Oi! Ryuzaki, how longs my hair?" he shouted out of the bathroom door.

"I don't appear to have a ruler about my person; shall I have Watari bring one up?"

"Grrr…Just estimate! And I told you, get off my bed! This isn't a damn sleep-over!"

The mirror had been swept up during the day, by Watari no doubt, leaving a large hole between the two rooms. So after wishing him good night at their separate doors, Light had been surprised to find his new 'room mate' marching in through the wall whilst Light was changing for a shower. (Suffice to say, Light had not been pleased.) He was further surprised when his command of 'LEAVE' had been obeyed, if only for a few seconds, whence the detective returned laptop in hand, and muffins in the other hand and plunked himself down in the centre of Light's bed.

Light knew this evening would be as aggravating as the last, although, hopefully, he would survive it without injury.

He decided to settle on 6 and half minutes, resolving to blame Ryuzaki if it all went wrong. Dye massaged in and timer set, Light wrapped a towel around his waste and exited the bathroom only to be faced with unimaginable horror. In the 10 minutes L had been left unattended in his room the detective had somehow managed to destroy its ordered harmony and spread as much of himself all over the place as possible.

There were muffin crumbs on his once pristine sheets, something uncomfortably gooey on the night stand, snack wrappers on the on the floor (in front of the bin) draws opened; their contents bursting fourth, his clothes which had been neatly stacked on the bed had been rudely shoved off, his treasured bag of (manly) beauty products ripped asunder, its bottles and tubes casually discarded and leaking across the floor. The fake tan in particular, was making a spirited attempt to colour his entire cream carpet many shades darker.

And then in the middle of the disaster, lying across the bed and apparently eating his strawberry shower gel, was Ryuzaki, looking as innocent as could be.

"Yagami-kun, I'm disappointed, why doesn't this taste as good as it smells?"

"AHHHHHhhhhh…"

* * *

'What's he upset about now? You'd think I'd done something wrong?'

…Would Kira be this easily angered? Hmmm no, anger leads to mistakes, he wouldn't have lasted this long if everything annoyed him this much. Although Kira must have a lot of rage, he's angry at the world, he wants to take control back and punish. Hmm I can't decide.'

"Don't worry Yagami-kun, I'll have Watari come and clean that up." Light was kneeling on the floor trying to save as much as possible of his precious cosmetics.

"Why don't you clean it?! You're the one that made this mess!"

"What mess?" Light started up at him open mouthed, then gestured to floor, clothes and general detritus that surrounded the recumbent detective.

"huh, what that? Oh yeh, sorry I dropped a few things."

"A Few!?"

"Stop exaggerating, it's a couple of bottles and 2 piles of clothes that I put on the floor – it'll take Watari 5 minutes to clean in up. Here, I'll call him now if it makes you happy." He reached into his pocket and extracted a mobile phone.

"No, don't make him come all they way up here, he's probably asleep by now, and besides you made the mess, so you can do it!" He lunged forward, attempting to wrestle the phone out of L's grip.

"ha!"

"Give that back, Light-kun!"

"Is there something the matter Master Ryuzaki?" In his triumph Light had inadvertently pressed the call button. He dropped the phone in surprise and it fell between them.

"Yes Watari, Yagami-kun is complaining about his room again."

"What? No I'm not! I'm complaining about you, you…"

"Is the situation urgent? I'm afraid I'm rather busy at the moment?" ignoring Light's comment.

"No Watari, just his usual complaining. What's the matter? Has something happened?"

"The security cameras on the 8th floor appear to be malfunctioning and have been for some time now, so I'm going there to attempt to rectify the situation." Light could hear him walking along a corridor with an odd clicking sound, he stopped then an elevator dinged.

Ryuzaki identified the sound. "Is a handgun necessary to fix a camera? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, sir nothing, just a little precaution I thought it wise to take. Please excuse me but I shall be over to sort out your little domestic dispute momentarily sir." Now Light _certainly_ didn't want the old man to come. "No! No! We're fine Watari-san, just a little joke."

"Yagami-kun is correct, it seems we shall not be in need of you this evening"

"Goodnight Master Ryuzaki" L shut off the phone and turned to the boy.

"Is something wrong, do you think?" Light was kneeling on the bed opposite him. With legs apart slightly his towel had parted, revealing one thigh from knee to hip where the knot was tied.

Fiddling with his phone "probably nothing, he's just cautious, always is…" swallowing hard "we've had so many problems with this building it's probably…"

Light was still damp from the shower, a drip from the end of his hair fell and landed on the top his thigh, near his hip, where it ran downwards and along his inner thigh. "you' know stuff or something…" Light finally followed his eyes. "RYUZA"

L couldn't have stopped himself if he'd wanted to, and he didn't. His hand slid forward, finger tips gently landed on the creamy thigh. Light gasped. The index finger stopped the drip's progress and slid slowly upward following the path collecting moisture as it went. He looked up, into the other's face, searching.

Light's face was turned away, erubescent, but then very, very slowly he took his own hand and placed it over Ryuzaki's holding it against his thigh. Light finally turned to face him, but couldn't look him in the eyes, so L placed his other hand on Light's face, cupping his cheek into which Light lent forwards slightly. And their eye's met.

His breathing quickened, Ryuzaki let his thumb rub circles on Light's thigh inching further and further under the towel.

"Ryuzaki..I…"

"Yes, Light-kun?"

"ah"

Another drip fell, landing with a splash on the back of Light's hand, oddly it was tinted brown.

'huh?'

"Oh crap! My hair dye! Its been way too long."

And with that Light leaped off the bed and dashed to the bathroom.

'Damn him and his stupid, stupid hair!'

* * *

Light stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. 'Ohmygod! What was that?' His face was flushed and his breathing irregular, but the slow trickle of brown from his hair line brought him back to the present. 'I've left it in far too long, what if my hair falls out now…or It's bright orange!' and with that he stepped quickly into the shower and got to work.

A minute later he stuck out his hand to lock the bathroom door. 'That pervert! Who knows what he'll do now? … Why did I encourage him? I let him touch me and I …'

'I thought he liked Misa….I though _I_ liked Misa! Or Takada, or Shiroi or any of them.' He stood staring at the shower wall for along time, letting the water wash over him regardless of its ever changing temperatures.

Eventually the shower settled on 'freezing' and Light no longer had an excuse to remain lest he catch hypothermia. Shivering he exited and stood to access the damage in the mirror. It wasn't too bad, his roots were lighter than usual but noticeably so. Some of his already dyed hair had gone a bit orange, but with the way he styled his hair it should remain hidden, probably. 'Well it's not as if I can do anything _now._' Before, had L been responsible for damage to his precious hair, Light would have raged at him, but now… 'Oh how am I going to look at him?'

After taking a minute to collect himself, Light wrapped a much larger towel around his waste, so that he was now covered from stomach to ankle, before exiting the bathroom.

"You cleaned up?!" Ryuzaki was still sitting on his bed, apparently very interested in his laptop. The room was clean, or at least clean_er_ (he was still L after all). The bottles had been returned to their bags which had intern been placed next to the carefully folded clothing stacked neatly, if rather precariously, on the bed.

L stood up automatically falling into his 'slouch' posture but didn't meet his eyes. (Not that Light would have noticed since his own were watching L's toes.) "I should go, …Light-kun probably needs his beauty sleep or something."

"umm ok."

He walked with L across the room where they stopped, standing uncomfortably by the exit. Light was unsure as to why he was showing someone out of a hole in his wall.

"Thanks…for cleaning up, I'm sorry for yelling, I probably did freak out a bit too much."

"No, you were right, I made the mess in the first place so I had to um."

'Oh God we're trapped in an 'awkward doorstep moment'. How did I let this happen? I'm the expert in this, I should have dodged it.'

"I should go (pause)" was classic ADM material. What followed was nearly always a horrific display of embarrassment. Both participants would stand there mumbling half sentences desperate to prolong the moment and subtly convey the sentiment of 'you can kiss me if you like, 'cos I'm totally comfortable with that, but only if you want to, no pressure or anything, but if you want to, you can, as long as you start.'

Or other such drivel that belied a total lack of self confidence and determination Light despised situations like this and had resolved, age 13, never to allow its recurrence. Normally at this point he would clasp her (it was always a her) right hand, lean forward and delicately kiss her cheek (more romantic than a normal kiss) whilst throwing out a "Can I see you again sometime?" or "You look so beautiful tonight?" or some such thing that had any girl falling at his feet.

Obviously that wouldn't help him with this ADM because he didn't actually want to kiss Ryuzaki, making this the more complex 'onesided-ADM'. Time to be proactive!

"um… G-goodnight Ryuzaki."

"oh… Goodnight Light-kun"

Yes he defiantly didn't want to kiss him, it was just the power of the ADM that made the sight of Ryuzaki's retreating back look so disappointing, like a wasted opportunity.

* * *

In a large room, empty and silent rows of benches and desks warmed gently from the morning sunlight streaming through the high windows. There was a thin smattering of paper about the room and at the desk at the front a projector and blackboard stood ready.

Approaching footsteps disrupted the silence, the door was unlocked and swung open, a man entered the room. He strolled across the room, in a curious path known only to himself toward a nondescript seat in the middle of a row, in the middle of the room. Kneeling by the seat he removed a screwdriver from a pocket and unscrewed the seat. Then, he placed an 'out of order' sign in the space and tucked the seat in a cupboard.

Then the man left the room.

* * *

"Has anyone seen Matsuda around this morning?" Said his father at breakfast.

"He's probably still asleep. Only Matsuda could be late when he lives above the office." Said Mogi as he stirred his coffee.

"but, I can't remember hearing him getting back last night."

"Good morning gentlemen and Miss Amane." Watari entered the room, pushing a desert trolley containing L's calories, Misa's un-calories and the real food for everyone else. They were all, or at least those who had made it to breakfast, spread around the dinning table, enjoying the views that being on the 22nd floor afforded them.

Watari served Ryuzaki first, unloading the many small sugared treats on their individual little plates from the trolley, and arranging them around the detective with an air of clipped artisan professionalism not entirely suited for presenting what was essentially multicoloured diabetes, or at least this early in the morning. Just looking at it made Light feel sick, forcing him to eat less in order to offset the sugar he was no doubt inhaling just by his proximity to the offencive 'food'. The others seemed to have no problem with overpowering sugar vapours and tucked into their English breakfasts with great delight.

Light had chosen to ignore the detective this morning. Well not 'ignore', because that was a childish thing to do, he was simply … fascinated by his food, and the table, and the carpet and if all else failed he could begin his structural examination of the ceiling. Not Misa though, Light doubted anything about her could ever be described as fascinating…or, cringing subtle. She was sitting next to him animatedly describing the wonders of the view from her room, how they were best viewed at night and from her bed. Honestly, she was about as subtle as a jewel encrusted g-string, and about as sexy.

'Where did that come from? She's your _girl_friend, remember!' She giggled childishly and Light shuddered. Misa might want to be a spangly G-string of seduction, but there would be a picture of a kitten of the front, with big shiny eyes and a bow, contriving to look as cute as possible yet managing to look rabid. Misa-Misa combined the body of an attractive 20 year old woman with the voice, attitude and dress sense of a 12 year old girl. In her sexiness met cuteness, in a vicious battle to the death that left the beholder confused and slightly worried by the experience.

Though, if Misa was the G-string of seduction then Ryuzaki was the greying y-fronts of indifference. Washed into unelasticated apathy, never to be seen apart from the rare occasions where they were removed for delousing. That guy had the worst personal hygiene! According to Matsuda, L had apparently not moved once from in front of the screens during Light's confinement and he'd had a choice about it! Light considered the possibility of L being periodically hosed down with ice water, due to smell levels breaching Kyoto protocol, by rubber overall wearing Watari – it was an amusing image.

As Light's mind began to wonder it came to the inevitable destination of trying to picture Ryuzaki in a Misa-thong – it wasn't an attractive image and it jerked him from the daydream with a shudder. 'Yuck, think I got a bit too carried away with that metaphor.'

'Ryuzaki in a girls thong wouldn't look right… or a guys one, they always look terrible and would make him look skeletal, he'd look good in…, hmmm something to emphasise his…! Hang on, how long have I been spending thinking about L in his underwear?!'.

Their hands brushed accidentally under the table causing Light to recoil with such force that he upset his coffee and finally found himself looking Ryuzaki in those all knowing eyes. Irrationally he was certain that the super-detective knew that his suspect had just been imagining him dressed in his girlfriend's panties. It was probably written in the blush across his face, so Light forced his eyes to the table again where he noticed the coffee seeping across the table.

"Yagami-kun, are you feeling well?" Said Watari as he handed him some paper towels.

"You're very flushed, Light have you got a temperature?"

"No dad, I'm fine…it's just… I'm Completely Fine! Thanks." They were all looking at him now, which was only making it worse. His face was probably the same shade as Misa's lipstick now.

"Oh no!! Is Misa's Lighty sick?!"

'Damn you Ryuzaki! This is all your fault!' The bastard was smirking, or at least gave Light the impression that if his face was capable of it, he would be smirking.

He was deliberately doing this! Although what 'this' was Light couldn't be sure. After the horror that was last night and then again this morning, Light had no idea what L's intentions were.

This morning he'd been waiting there, leaning against the wall as Light left for breakfast. Just when he'd most wanted to avoid the freak, the world's best detective had the opposite aim in mind. Light was finally feeling himself again; after the confinement and all that weirdness beforehand, he was at long last normal again. Dressed to perfection, hair shining in the sun and skin glowing he looked his best and knew it… and so did L apparently.

"Good Morning Yagami-kun, I…oh." He'd paused and with great exaggeration 'checked Light out' his large buggish eyes oogeled Light from perfect hair to designer shoes. Light had never before appreciated the phrase 'undressing someone with their eyes' but could think of no better way to describe the sensation. With a finger on his lips, and a crazy, slightly manic smile he almost whispered "so I was wrong, it is worth all that effort." And then more loudly "Light-kun is looking very nice this morning, very nice indeed."

'How dare he!?' How dare he stand there and say… things like that! What nerve, that pervert! So he stormed away with the intention of displaying quite how angry he was in the form of an angry stomp down the hall way until he heard a sigh from behind him and turning, found L exactly where he'd left him, the detective's eyes now fixed on his suspect's neatly toned posterior. "Hey! Stop that!"

"When Yagami-kun wears such tight trousers what does he expect?"

"They're not that tight! And I expect you to be L, not so…"

'normal'.

For that's what this was, Light considered, as he buttered another slice of toast. He was attractive therefore people were attracted to him. That was what he 'expected', why he dressed this way, why he spent so much time and money on adjusting his appearance; arbitrarily changing the colours of some bits (his hair lighter, skin darker), removing hair from some places, growing it in others, toning, smoothing, cleaning, conditioning, moistening, perfuming and pampering all so that people who look at him consider 'Yagami Light' to be…attractive.

So why I'm I so incensed when he 'flirts' with me? Its not because he's a man, this certainly isn't the first time a guy's come on to me. It's not because he's aggressive, Misa definitely beats him there.

Maybe it's because Ryuzaki himself is so unattractive? A freakish little gremlin, skulking around with terrible posture, revolting eating habits and dubious personal hygiene. But he isn't unattractive. Light was now spying on Ryuzaki from under his eyelashes. Ok, by the definition of the word alone Ryuzaki was _un_attractive; he was not 'appealing to look at' or 'pleasing to the senses', he did not attract the attention, or at least the right sort of attention. Moreover he could not, with present fashions, be described as handsome or in anyway, sophisticated. At the bottom of the list of world's most debonair, charming and charismatic men the name Ryuzaki was sure to be found, graceful, sociable and tactful were further words that didn't spring to mind when viewing him.

He was, Light soon realised, a very difficult man to describe. Wild dark hair, unkempt, unbrushed yet, somehow, alive, large, inky eyes that, somehow, weren't, but still gazed with alarming intensity. Bruised, mascara-smudge bags on sallow, greasy skin, yet his pale bitten lips that did not smile, fit his face and looked …attractive, for they attracted his attention.

Like now, L was speaking, carefully enunciating each word, lips moving to the progression of each syllable. His thumb ran across the bottom lip and Light almost sighed to himself. Ryuzaki then took a muffin, cramming it whole into his mouth, allowing the crumbs and disorder to spread in all directions, yet the world's greatest detective did not let that prevent the continuation of his speech, Light looking away very quickly. 'What a truly revolting little man!'

'urrrh not the whole sugar bowl surly. How is the coffee still able to flow? ' No, L was not attractive. He was a freakish little gremlin, skulking around with terrible posture, revolting eating habits and dubious personal hygiene. Yet somehow, despite all that, when knelt, mostly naked, in front of him, the detective's hands on his body, Light had to admit Ryuzaki was sexy. From the definition, of course, of 'sexually exciting or arousing', for that's certainly what happened, then, making him react the way he did, later in the shower and later still when he was awoken to sticky sheets and ghost memories of some very perverse dreams.

Ryuzaki is 'sexy'- what a terrible thought.

But that's what it is I suppose, why I'm so mad when he flirts with me. It's because for the first time in my life … its working? Because although very many people have been attracted to me this is the first time I've returned the feeling. I'm interested and dare I say it, 'aroused' and perhaps, might, possible, at some point or another, do something about it…

……… No! Nope, noway… that's just far too horrible to contemplate. It can't be that, it most certainly isn't that. This entire monologue was pointless. I hate him because he's a creepy bastard who locked me up for months on end and keeps trying to have me killed.

And that it!

Nothing else!

Ha!

* * *

"Won't people notice?" Two gentlemen were walking side by side in a large park.

"They haven't done so yet, so I fail to see as to why this occasion should be different." Giant ancient oak trees, golden brown in this autumnal season marked the path leading up a great hill.

"Are you certain?" They stood now on the crest of that hill looking out over a city.

"On this, yes but as to your deeper question, the once you're really trying to ask, then no, because the question is itself irrelevant and the answer unattainable." Before them stretched the city not perhaps the nicest part of it but a very impressive part nonetheless within the range of the eye stood physical evidence of 2000 years of continual human history. A blinking shiny skyscraper, roman ruins, a millennium folly, a great domed cathedral, and 2 palaces, all framed by the large wide river sparkling in the evening sunshine. And there to their left in a rather unassuming building, the place where world history and in fact time itself began.

"This is illegal isn't it?"

"Very illegal I should imagine, presuming they really knew what we were doing."

"I don't think there is a specific law against it, but there probably should be." The shorter man was referring to the flocks of pidgins congregating around the feet, all in a mad flapping panic to get closer.

The pidgins his companion was enticing closer with a large supply of peanuts.

Peanuts that is, coated with cyanide.

* * *

"Aizawa-san, you might to be taking 'dress-down Friday' a bit too literally."

"Huh? Its Tuesday…"

"It appears you are lacking in the trouser department".

"errr Sorry Ryuzaki-san, but it was the only way I was ever going to get past the mettle detector."

Watari entered the main room and distributed a large pile of printouts to the various desks. "They are perhaps, tad sensitive, creations of my own design, you see. We cannot be too careful but I may be able to tune them down a little."

"Shall we begin then?" said Ryuzaki with quite a lot of impatient as soon as his butler left the room. "Yesterday we…"

"Huh? Where's Matsuda?"

* * *

Guess who's been listening to Tom Lehrer? And sorry I never got round to answering the big question – Where's Matsuda? Kinda feels like I'm reusing cliffhangers but what the hey I promise that that question is the first one answered in the next part. Also didn't seem like much happened in this chapter, I apologise for that and will make up for it next time (already half written) with lots of action, romance and daring-dos! (All at once if its possible).

Those random little bits I've started to add will mean something later, just like when I started writing about building sites and construction companys and we all know how that turned out! The second one doesn't mean anything much in particular (except that I'm a Tom Lehrer fan) but just in case your interested I was describing the view of London from Greenwich Park, specifically the large hill next to the observatory. And as for my comments about time I assume you've all heard of GMT, well that observatory is where GMT starts (there's a special green laser showing you the line between the east and west). None of this means anything to the story, only that I'm feeling a little homesick. If you're ever in London I would certainly recommend a visit, the views amazing and it's such a calming place.

Btw just though I ought to let you in on a little secret, I loved the whole Matsuda plot twist from last chapter so much I wrote it and submitted it without ever thinking about how I'd get out of it, agonising over it was part of the reason this update took such a long time to get started. I've got a plan now, it's not all that strong so I'm gonna see if I can work on it a bit more. Must remember to plan my subplots better!

Also a big, big promise. This is the last time I'll ever mention Light's hair or abuse his vanity for the sake of cheap laughs…ever! its not funny to keep rehashing the same plot points get ready to see something new next time!

Hilda


	9. First Kiss

Greetings all!

Now intorducing **E-Zee Review**! if you the sort of person that doesn't usually review and never knows what to write (like me) then you may be interested in my new poll review system. simply go to my profile and fill out a simple poll to tell me what you thought... should take you less than a minute! please i could use the feed back!

So sorry about the balls-up that was the last update. I finally got round to joining chapters two and three together, so whilst the number of chapters didn't increase I had updated and it would appear you can't review a chapter twice. So sorry to everyone… well feel free to doubly review this chapter if you like!

I would then very much like to thank Dozing Dead, already a serial reviewer, who got round this by logging out and reviewing 'anonymously'. Now that's appreciation! High elbow!

It was also particularly poignant since the update of chapter 7 brought me my first entirely negative reviews, oddly both about chapter 2 – I didn't realise it suddenly got worse. ;-) which has caused me to have to change my disclaimer: warning readers of a sensitive spelling disposition may feel suicidal after reading.

(but if your normal, you'll probably survive)

A thank you to everyone else that reviews – it really makes my day and I do look at them for advice and ideas.

I'm trying out some new stuff in this chapter, do let me know what you think, if its crap I'll stop. Firstly it's another of the DN clichés; working on the investigation. Most fics have our heroes continually typing for months on end with no real purpose, but I think one of the most interesting parts of DN was how the case was worked on, something I'm trying to recreate. Last time I had L set the team tasks and now I've tried to imagine what the results of those might be and how they'd be used. Which occasionally means I go on about statistics, graphs, Time Of Deaths and policey sort of things – all of which I know little about, so feel free to ridicule me on my mistakes but its how if I was L I'd go about solving the case.

But if it bores you let me know.

Secondly, when I want to break up the huge chunk of stuff I've started introducing random news reports. I'm just trying to imagine what sort of things would happen in a Kira driven world and how the news would report it. I think they add to flavour and perhaps can give you a weathervane to current public opinion.

That's enough of that so lets answer the big question from last time: Where's Matsuda?

* * *

"You were trapped in a disused lavatory?!"

"Yes sir, but only since this morning sir, thought I'd wash up before breakfast, forgot I didn't have my card with me, so I couldn't open the door again to get back out. I thought I'd try to get out through the ventilation shaft or something, like they did in that movie. That one with all the explosions and helicopters… but then the tap came off the sink and water was going every where and all the stuff came off the ceiling, then the paper towel dispenser went crazy… and well … sorry sir."

It had taken the whole team half an hour to locate the missing detective. With Watari scouring the cameras, the police team checked the bedrooms, and Light, as the youngest (and therefore fittest member of the team) was nominated to climb the staircases, leaving L 'overseeing things' in the main work room. They had all grown quite worried with the ominous discovery of Matsuda's key card found lying in the centre of the second floor staircase, partially covered in what looked like blood but turned out to be source from the previous night's dinner. "I can't believe you just licked that Ryuzaki! What if it had been blood?!"

"I can't believe you freaked out that much Yagami-kun. Or really want to be a detective, surely you must know that at no point of oxidation does blood ever reach that particular shade or consistency. But then again, I doubt Kira ever sees real blood, don't you agree?"

Their search had continued until Watari spotted water leaking from one of the 20th floor bathrooms. Mogi and Aizawa with guns draw, kicked in the door and ran in. Then promptly slipped over on the soggy paper towels, skidding across the floor, knocking Matsuda off the sink he was balancing on, causing him to crash to the floor bringing down the rest of the ceiling tiles with him. The chief, who had just arrived stood over the damp, dusty and swearing pile of what he'd only yesterday considered Tokyo's finest and sighed loudly.

"I'll tell Ryuzaki we'll be down in 10 minutes."

* * *

"An impromptu wet t-shirt competition? Gentlemen this is the Kira case! Can't you take things a bit more seriously!" They were back in the control room, dryer and less dusty, but no less angry.

"With all respects Ryuzaki, this wouldn't have happened if Matsuda hadn't been pissing about again."

"I wasn't … I just got a bit lost… my key card…" The damp detective looked pretty pathetic and strangely older with plaster board in his hair.

"You mean this one?" Light held up the card, now wiped free of curry sauce.

"Thanks Light…" As Matsuda reached forward L snatched the card out of Lights hand.

"I'm not giving it back to you Matsuda, you've proved far too irresponsible to be trusted with your own safety. Instead, Watari!" Watari held out a wide plastic bracelet similar to the one currently on Light's wrist. "Ohhh"

"Now we'll know where you are at all times, and to be doubly sure, you will need to be accompanied where ever you go by someone with a key card if you ever want to get anywhere."

"I'm sorry everyone" he said as the bracelet was snapped shut over his wrist. This was so embarrassing - he now had less privileges than L's main suspects. "ummm Do I still get to be Misa-Misa's manager?"

"I can safely say you are the only man for the job" 'because nobody else would want it'.

"Well, shall we _finally_ get on with catching Kira?"

The team dispersed and went to their workstations.

* * *

"Watari, I thought we only ordered two wristbands."

"Me too, but there must have been an extra one made, I found it in a box of odds and ends under the main console."

"Well thanks for nothing Yagami-kun!"

"huh?"

Light and Ryuzaki could only stare at one another in the wake of Matsuda's baffling statement.

* * *

"Mogi-san, your preliminary report if you please."

After working diligently for several hours L had announced his desire to see what the team had come up with so far. Mogi stood up.

"You gave me the task of finding out whether the present Kira had the same capabilities as he did during the Sakura Television incident and weather he is using them now. All I can say is it's inconclusive: most criminals who appear on the news subsequently die, usually very soon after their first appearance. However some, and I checked with Matsuda-kun and Yagami-kun on this, die a few days later. I mention this because the ones that die later are typically gangsters, Yakuza or serial criminals…"

"Exactly the type of person who might use an alias… very interesting." Commented L.

"Yes but we know from Sakura TV" continued Mogi, "that his 'special ability' to kill with out a name doesn't take _that_ much longer. Kira was able to kill those cops and Ukita within minutes of them getting out of their cars."

"Odd, very odd, now why would that be?" L paused thinking hard.

"Tell me Mogi-san, do they all die several days later?"

"What are you thinking Yagami-kun?"

"No, not all of them do. Like last week, the leader of one of the largest triads was caught in Ginza but he's still alive."

"I'm just wondering Ryuzaki, if some people's real names are harder to find than others."

"Well done Light-kun! Kira can't kill people with out their names – he has to do research, that's why it takes him so long, and why some aren't killed – he couldn't find their names." His farther was pleased and so was … Ryuzaki. They smiled at one another and then looked away hurriedly.

"Though if he can kill people so easily, why isn't he now?" Questioned Matsuda.

"Did he lose the ability?"

"No Aizawa-san I don't think that's what happened, I think _she_ stopped being Kira and someone else took her place!"

He hated Ryuzaki! Any opportunity to increase the suspicion.

* * *

"…in what some are describing as another of Kira's Miracles, in Stuttgart today a young woman was saved when her attacker collapsed in front of her and she was able to escape unharmed. Otto Mustermann, 44, a convicted rapist who escaped from police custody last month was holding Miss Muller captive in his flat when he suddenly grabbed his chest and fell to the ground. Erika Muller, a 19 year old arts student from Bremen, has been reunited with her family and is said to be 'very thankful' to Kira for his timely intervention…"

* * *

"Yagami-san and Aizawa-san would you care to tell us what you've been working on?"

Aizawa stood up first "We've been trying to identify what sort of people Kira will kill, the sort of people Kira thinks needs punishing, his 'moral code' as Ryuzaki said. Well, it's been pretty tricky so far."

"It seems as though, as Mogi said, almost all criminals who appear on the news these days are targeted. And people who aren't 'really' criminals, the sort of people who before Kira wouldn't touch and even the sort who are obviously wrongfully accused. For example, last week a battered housewife was 'punished' for pushing her abusive husband down the stairs, but as you'll notice from this spreadsheet, in a very similar case last November the woman is still alive." Said his farther who was looking distinctly worried about something.

"Kira also just killed a man who was arrested for attempting suicide by jumping off an office block in Osaka. What ever happened to only punishing those 'who'd shown cruelty to the weak'?"

"Yes, what indeed? Yagami-san, Kira's change in habits, when abouts would you say this started?" Ryuzaki knew the answer, Light was sure, which could only mean…

"We haven't built up a complete profile yet… so its hard to say…"

"An estimate then, go with your gut instincts. When did the pattern change?"

His father sighed "That would be … during my son's …confinement Ryuzaki." The whole room was tense and silent. "but of course we've only just started our work, so it's possible that…"

"Of course Yagami-san, I await your findings with bated breath."

* * *

"The trial of the Devon Strangler collapsed today after the accused, 38 year old taxi driver Joe Bloggs was found dead in his cell at Plymouth police station. Although it is yet to be confirmed, this is suspected to be yet another victim of the mass 'psychic' serial killer, Kira. A spokes person for the victims' families outside of court today described how they 'felt cheated out of justice' as we are now very unlikely to ever find out what happened to their daughters during those terrible months last summer. Whilst there were no other suspects, irregularities in the DNA evidence and inconsistencies in Bloggs' statement, his defence stated today…."

"Fucking Kira! I've been following that case for months and now he's gone and ruined it."

"But you always thought it was the uncle, Mello."

"It is! You saw his previous record, drugs, assault, molestation, and now he's going to get away with it and probably kill more girls!"

"But not only did he have a solid alibi, he is also left handed, bald and a non-smoker, and as such could not possibly be the murderer. You need to reexamine the evidence before you start making bets, 50 quid, I believe it was."

"Fucking Near!"

* * *

"And now I think we'd all like to hear about what Matsuda-san and Yagami-kun have been doing."

Matsuda stood up "You told us to look at the times, and so far we don't have any strong results, mostly we've been stuck in the data processing side of things. It's because most TODs haven't been converted to GMT and are in local time so we've had to find out the time differences and correct them. Then some countries have changed to GMT but haven't noted it down anywhere, then some say it is in GMT, but Yagami-kun doesn't think they really have…"

Light remained seated. "And there's a lot of inaccuracies in the data, that, or people in Brazil only die exactly on the hour. Frankly I'm tempted to discount all the odd ones but that would only introduce more inaccuracies in our results. Ryuzaki, perhaps you could contact the ICPO and ask them to sort this out, we can't keep emailing prisons hoping they can give their exact longitude."

"Of course, Watari will prepare something appropriate. But have you discovered anything useful?"

"Yagami-kun set up this graph and I've been entering more data into it. We converted from GMT to Japan time then plotted deaths over a twenty four hour day and then a seven day week. If we only look at recent Kira trends then, as you can see here, almost 80 percent of deaths occur between 6pm and 3 am. Over the week deaths are more even but just over 40 percent occur on Fridays and Saturdays."

"Hmmm 80 percent of deaths occur during 42 percent of the day, and right after the 6 o'clock news too… and 40 percent are killed during 30 percent of the week, this signifies nothing! In fact I'm surprised, 40 percent is really very low, considering the weekends have always had higher crime rates."

"Your right Ryuzaki, we haven't at all considered the numbers of announced criminals. In its current state this data tells us nothing about Kira and everything about crime habits around the world."

"In its current state?"

"I think this data could tell us everything we could ever want to know, if we were able to process it properly. I mean half the staff we're all trying to do would be a lot easier if we had the results from everyone else's projects first. If I knew the different victim patterns I could split the data up between the different Kiras, but they can't tell me what 'Kira's law' is until I tell them who killed who."

"I understand, it's very difficult now other Kiras have emerged and convoluted things. Could we not work from the theory that from Kurou Otoharada until Sakura TV all victims are those of Kira- Original, build up a picture of him and see if it still fits with the current death trends."

"Possibly, but I don't think you really understand Ryuzaki – I certainly don't. I mean… I've got ideas of things to try and have had a look online… but the…maths is a little beyond what I did in school. If I had a degree in statistics I bet this would be easy, but I don't, high school maths doesn't go anywhere near far enough."

'Admitting there's something he can't do, that must have cost a lot of pride, I'm impressed' thought L and he said. "of course Yagami-kun, I'll see what I can arrange."

* * *

"I'm worried!"

"Your always worried Shimura."

"He's right to be worried Takahashi, the situation has changed."

"Kira is no longer profitable to Yotsuba. With all the chaos thrown up by the increased rate of deaths, economies around the world are shifting into recession."

"People are two scared to spend money and buy stuff and if the not buying stuff their not buying Yotsuba's stuff."

"I think we might all know what a recession is Higuchi. Kira was good for us, our stocks rose, as did our salaries and bonuses, but now all stocks are going down and in her present condition Yotsuba will fail. Gentlemen, even we will not survive a recession unscathed."

"But what can we do?"

"We'll just have to 'contact' the original Kira."

"oh? That sort of 'contact' huh, Ooi."

* * *

"Want us to get you two anything? Coffee? A sandwich?"

"No, thank you Matsuda-san." The team had decided to take a coffee brake whilst waiting for the chief to get back from his daily meeting with the director.

Light had spent the remainder of the morning designing a new data system whilst Matsuda attempted to find Moldova on a timezone map. After a light lunch of salad and coffee and another round of 'not looking at Ryuzaki' it was back to work or in Light's case a statistics degree in one afternoon. What L arranged turned out to be a massive pile of large, brick-thick text books. Such riveting titles as "Advanced Integral Calculus", "Research Methods and Statistical Understanding" and "Computational Methods – for intelligent people", glared at him from the coffee table.

He sat down with a sigh, pulled the nearest toward him and proceeded to disengage his brain from real life and enter the curious and bizarre world of mathematics, the only place anyone would think to assume a cow is spherical in order to make the numbers easier.

The room was quiet, just the sounds of Light turning pages and L continuing to do whatever he'd been doing all day, which as far as Light could make out was; nothing.

L was in fact thinking, not something that caused an outward change in his appearance, so was often mistaken for 'nothing'. That, and answering emails. Even with Watari filtering all communications, his in-box still needed emptying every few days. Mostly they were messages from foreign leaders, diplomats or police chiefs offering him new cases, although nowadays they more often contained desperate pleas for information or a list of the latest Kira victims. Some emails came from the other great private detectives; seeking advice, sharing information and the usual industry related jokes. 'Did you ever hear that one about three private detectives who walk into a bar…'

'heh, that was a good one' and like with any good joke it left an itching fever, demanding to be retold, to spread and infect others, which even L couldn't resist. The only other occupant of the room was Light still immersed in his text books. 'Damn Yagami-kun has no sense of humour.' He shuffled over there anyway and climbed onto the sofa next to the younger man.

"Yagami-kun." Light had been concentrating hard on the complicated theory so hadn't noticed the detective creep up, alarming as that was, what was worse was that L was far too close. 'no idea about personal space…why's he smiling like that?' "…yes Ryuzaki?" The detective leaned in a little more, rearranging his legs in the preferred style. 'any closer and he'll…'

"I was just wondering if Yagami-kun has ever…"

"Ever What?" 'what was that pervert going to say now? Another daft Kira theory?'

'What's up with him? he's suddenly very defencive.' He looked Light straight in the eyes trying to decipher his odd reactions.

'Why's he staring at me like that?' and Light felt another blush on his cheeks, and in response on L's face a similar reaction was taking place. 'Is he too?' Between them the disregarded book balanced on Light's knee began to slip. He quickly moved his hand in order to impede its fall but found another in the way. "ohi'msorry" as he jerked his hand away.

An impulse broke through the indecision and he once again placed his hand on Ryuzaki's.

Who after a moment's pause slowly turned it over and laced their fingers together.

Light swallowed, his heart was thumping hard in his chest, Ryuzaki could probably feel his pulse racing, hear it even it was so loud to his ears. The book slipped to the floor and neither noticed.

Ryuzaki gave a little squeeze. "Light-kun?"

'Light get a grip of yourself, you're just sitting here holding hands, you are not going to faint, ok, now, break away or take the initiative just stop staring at the floor! Make a decision! You're the super sexy sex god, take charge, do it!' He turned and with great effort raised his eyes to look L in the face. There it was, the slight twitch that gave it away, Ryuzaki's gaze flicked from his eyes to his mouth and back.

'OK' his mental coach said 'we've done this many times before, now lean forward!' Hesitantly the detective mimics his action. They were so close now. 'shut eyes, tilt slightly' Ryuzaki's breath played against his lips and there… a gentle touch of warmth and pressure… the tiniest bit of moisture…DING.

'mmm…ding?... ELEVATOR!'

"Hey Yagami-kun you have to see this, it's soooo cool!"

"Shut up Matsuda, he has better things to do than listen… are you two alright?" said Aizawa as his gaze fell upon the suspect and the detective who were sitting as far apart as was physically possible whilst still sitting on the same sofa. Light looked like he was about to topple off the end, and although L always looked pretty precarious what was odd was their matching guilty expression and a huge pile of haphazardly discarded books between them. "You two haven't been fighting again have you?" honestly they were worse than his kids…but oddly …relieved?

"Yes." Said Ryuzaki.

"NO!" gasped Light. Looking quickly at L. "umm I meant yes…"

"Well not really, I guess."

Mogi and Aizawa raised their eyebrows and watched in disbelief as the two geniuses attempted to sort their story out. "What Ryuzaki means is…"

"I was attempting to tell Li-Yagami-kun a joke…"

"You were?... I mean, yes that's what happened"

"and then…a book…"

"books went flying everywhere…because…"

"Yagami-kun tripped on the coffee table."

"It was a… very funny joke" Light finished lamely.

"Right, a joke, makes complete sense" 'what was it about?' was on Aizawa's lips but didn't think he could bare to watch them dig themselves deeper, whatever had happened was none of his business, he'd tell Yagami-san and leave it at that, he got enough of this crap from his own kids and a certain idiot to warrant anymore.

"so Matsuda-san" started Light with far too much cheeriness "what was the really cool thing you wanted to show me?"

* * *

"Yagami, are you and your men making any progress whatsoever?"

"I'm sorry sir, but it's very difficult."

"It's been 9 months since Kira emerged and you haven't made a single arrest, in fact you don't seem to be achieving anything! Japan is being turned into a world laughing stock!"

"With all due respect sir with the resources Japan's putting into this case it's a miracle we get anything done! Four men Kitamura! If only the world new the 'great efforts' we were going through to protect them and stop this killer, they certainly wouldn't be laughing. They'd be angry, and rightly so! How many victims are we going to damn with our incompetence, our lies and our cowardice?! So before you dare to criticise my team have the honour to admit to your own inadequacies!"

"You're way out of line Yagami, we're giving you everything you need…"

"humph except the one thing we actually want, more people, L provides everything else. Well I don't expect you to understand. All you need to know is my team and L are working diligently, assiduously and tirelessly without rest, and without fear of our lives with the one and only purpose of catching Kira."

* * *

"What? Don't look at me like that Yagami-kun, it came free when I ordered the machine."

"It's the silliest thing I've ever seen… I mean why?" They were crowded round the thing still clutched in Matsuda's hands.

"Why not? I thought it looked cool and professional. I've got the laptops, the office paper and the jet, so I thought what the hell, and it does pay to advertise."

"I'm speechless, I really am. What happened to being concerned about your identity? This is hardly inconspicuous."

"No one knows my identity."

"The guy who made your coffee machine does!"

In Matsuda's hands was a cappuccino, and their emblazoned on the milky throff was the familiar Gothic 'L' marked out in chocolate powder.

* * *

"We're now joined from our Calais studio by the Prisons minister Pierre Untel. Monsieur Untel, wouldn't you agree that last nights events at the Calais Prison are a disgraceful and unmitigated disaster?"

"It is a terrible and most regretful tragedy, the cause of which will be found quickly, a police enquiry is already underway. Those found responsible will be held accountable for their actions."

"Do you or the wardens have any idea how the prison visitors list found its way onto a pro-Kira website, where they were labelled as criminals themselves?"

"I can not speculate but the enquiry will be thorough and systematic, the police are-"

"35 completely innocent people, mostly the wives and children of inmates, some as young as 6 years old have been killed minister. What are you doing to protect us? How are you going to prevent this from happening again?"

"Data security has been stepped up in all government facilities …and we will find the people responsible… but what can be done to prevent the mislabelling of innocent citizens as criminals, or to protect criminals … or anyone from that monster… I do not know. All we can pray is that Kira is caught soon and that others have the decency not to take advantage of him whilst he is still at large."

* * *

L wasn't paying attention. This was bad, supposing some of Yagami-san's rant held vital clues or inspiration. But as it was, he couldn't even focus from one sentence to the next. He was…giddy almost, 'happy' no confused yes, curious. He needed to speak with Light, or at least be alone with him, they could speak, perhaps. Or carry on, whatever Light preferred of course… but they could 'carry on'.

"so then I said to him 'With all due respect…" 'gah! Why might Light and I need to disappear upstairs?'

"That's telling him chief! What did he say next?" 'Now! I need a reason!' Their eyes met and Light sent him a shy smile.

"Sorry dad, you carry on, I'm just popping to the …bathroom." An email appeared on his screen. **3****rd**** floor - meeting room. ** He smiled. 'Quick'

He waited a few moments before getting up. "huh Ryuzaki where are you going? I was just getting to the good bit."

"Cake. I'm out of cake."

"Whats that by that blue file?" a full slice of rich chocolate cake with cream sat a few inches from his mouse pad.

"Oh, not that sort of cake." He shuffled away quickly in order to prevent any more questions.

Upstairs he quickly moved toward the first of the meeting rooms, anticipation making his heart beat loudly in his ears. There he was, standing by the window, the sunlight shining in his hair, looking…gorgeous, a warm smile gracing his lips. "hey, Ryuzaki."

"Light-kun" he whispered as he approached.

"Ryuzaki, this is something I've wanted …to do for a … long time."

"I know, I can barely stop thinking about it." And with that he wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist and kissed him with all the passion he could muster. It was a wonderful moment, the smell and the warmth of the perfect, if oddly stiff, boy's body. But then, pain?

"WHAT THE FREAKING HELL RYUZAKI!!" He flew backwards hitting the opposite wall, it felt like there was a fist shaped hole in his stomach. L looked up into a face of pure fury. "You …little…freak!"

'What the?' Had he misread the entire situation? Light stormed from the room slamming the door behind him. L sat there cradling his abused abdomen. 'what happened?... I thought he…

…he's back?'

The detective was surprised to see Light walk back into the room, where he stood over him with a curious look on his face.

"Where did you go? I was looking for you everywhere. …What are you doing down there Ryuzaki?" he said with genuine concern etched in his voice.

'What am I doing down here?! That little bastard! How dare he lead me on downstairs then act like it's my fault!'

"One for one, Yagami-kun" and with that he launched upward with a cruel and powerful kick to Light's surprised face.

"WHAT THE FREAKING HELL RYUZAKI!!" Hands clutched over his face, blood already flowing vigorously from his nose, Light could only stare in shock as Ryuzaki carefully made his way to his feet and crouched in to a fighting stance.

'What the hell? I thought we were going to make out. That bastard! He could have said he didn't want to – this is some rejection!' "You little shit!" and with that he launched himself at the detective fists raised.

* * *

'What. The. Hell. Was. That?' Kira was back in his control room having run the whole way. His hand found its way to his lips. 'Why? He's a freak, but really that's a bit much. This timeline is so fucked up!'

"Hyuk Hyuk you weren't expecting that now were you?" Ryuk was enjoying this, he hadn't had this much fun in a long time. The look on his buddy's face when L draped himself on him and tried to mouth rape him was so hysterically funny.

"Didn't realise L had the hots for you Light. Hyuk Hyuk did you see the look on his face when you punched him? RE-JECTED! He looked like he was gonna cry! Aww Light you broke his widdle heart. Hyuk Hyuk."

"SHUT UP RYUK!" That blasted shinigami was enjoying this way too much, and his laughter was grating even at the best of times. 'But why?'

After surviving last night with Matsuda and planting that spare wristband he'd taken a good look at himself in the mirror and realised just how little he'd changed in 5 years. A little taller, a little stronger maybe but with the right clothes he doubted that even his farther would be able to tell them apart. So a rummage through his younger self's clothes and a shopping trip later he was ready to test his theory.

He started carefully of course, casually wondering past Mogi on his way to lunch, then he said 'hi' to Aizawa on his way back from the bathroom, when his father asked him to pass the milk in the break room he knew he was perfect, the only thing that was left was the most difficult challenge of all. L. The detective was unusually perceptive, it would be a wild leap of creative imagination if he worked out what was wrong but if Kira made a mistake L would add it to his suspicions.

However concerned he was, Kira needed to do this, he needed to look his once fallen enemy in the face and remind himself of his true goals, stand tall and proud, like the god he is, and then knee L in the groin just like he'd always dreamt of doing.

So he'd manufactured and email from 'himself' the moment he saw young Light leave the room and lied in wait, ready with some story about a new Kira theory to entice L closer…but then his plan went wrong… horribly, horribly wrong

'yuck' He had to wash his mouth out. He was going to get the detective for this.

* * *

"Those two have been rather a long time haven't they? I wonder what there up to. Matsuda go fetch them wont you." It was 15 minutes since his son left, ostentatiously on a bathroom break and 10 minutes since Ryuzaki wondered off in his high speed amble, not worrying by itself, for they were always off together, usually arguing, but with Aizawa's concerning reports of their behaviour whilst he was away Soichiro didn't want to leave them alone for too long.

"I can't chief … Ryuzaki took away my key card."

"Fine, Mogi can you turn on the camera system, see if we can find them that way."

"Hey!" said Matsuda when he realised he'd only just been ranked slightly less incompetent than the chief's pet hate, complicated computer systems.

A thump followed by crashing and banging could suddenly be heard from the ceiling. Then a yelp and a string of muffled swear words that the chief was very embarrassed to realise his son knew, came next.

"Cancel that. Well lets go sort this out before they do some real damage." He sighed, it seemed boys will be boys even if they're both geniuses.

* * *

Poor L – when you going to snog sociopaths its important to get the right one! Now you all know why I wrote Light/L/Light in the summary…

well not really it's mostly cos I can never decide between Light/L or L/Light. There probably isn't going to be any serious Kira/L stuff writing one romantic plot line is tricky enough as it is! So far people have been suggesting I'm going with mega seme L and uber uke Light… I don't see it that way, just cos light cares about his appearance doesn't automatically mean he likes it up the bum, to make such sweeping stereotype is unfair to gay men of which I know a few. So as and when I approach any hot man on man action I'm going to ask for advise and shall we say 'inside information' from my friends.

I've had the whole 'mistaken kissing' pencilled in for a long time just waiting for the right moment to whip it out. I hope I did the gag justice and you weren't too confused. I also found the first kiss rather ironic since L was trying to tell a joke when romance intervened – the opposite of what I've been doing for the rest of the fic. But that raises and interesting idea…what sort of jokes would private detectives send each other? And that's my challenge for you this week: come up with the perfect joke for L! You can change the wording of an existing joke or come up with something completely new! All the good ones will be used somehow in the next chapter with all credit given. The only one I could think of was that one with Sherlock Homes and Watson going camping but thought that was too obvious.

These are still a few questions needing to be answered about what happened between Matsuda and Light encase you were wondering, eventually all will be revealed.

I still think not much is happening in the overall plot, just the mushy crap of the romance which I need to develop to a certain point before I can make leaps in the plot. Nah!

Also due to popular demand (complaints) I'm in the market for a beta reader. I've never had one before so I don't know what the correct procedure is, but if you're interested, like this fic and have better spellin than me does why not get in touch?

So they've had their first kiss, (which bares a striking resemblance to my own tender memories) their first fight and personalised cappuccinos, what exciting adventures could possibly happen next time?

Is that a death note in you pocket or are you just pleased to see me?

Review please!

Hilda


	10. When L arrests Kira

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Wow it almost been 4 months since my last update. I bet some of you thought you'd heard the last of me, well fear not I will get the fic done one way or another. To make up in part for my terrible update time this chapter is over twice as long as any previous chapter! 12k words! So whilst you've had to wait a long time to get this I hope you can see have been pretty busy working away at this.

This is also the first chapter where I've had real time batering as I go. So a massive thanks to Believe Bridesmaid, who I've been in almost daily msn chat to just get this chapter perfect. She's also batered all the other chapters and they'll be going up over the next few days. We've also got a few more projects in the pipeline and possibly some opportunities for outside input if anyone is up for that?

29/07/08 - was so rushed to get this up i forgot to do this earlier but I'd like to thank all those who took the time to review the last chaper. i'm also, after being told off by my beta replying to everyone who reviews from now on. however i will refuse to answer any speculative questions regarding the plot, cos i've got to get my kicks out of this some way haven't i?

so Thanks to:

dragontwister G. L. Ash lovova Shadow-L-Chan Xhadow Kiss and Lady Rosina

I shan't delay you any longer, please enjoy and let me know what you think.

Hilda

xxx

* * *

"In Spain today a prisoner's rights group marched through Madrid calling for greater protection for the country's remaining convicts. The protests were prompted by the latest in the new series of mass Kira-killings last week when over four thousand inmates, mostly from the country's north eastern prisons died from heart attacks. The man responsible is local government official and Kira supporter Perico de los Palotes, who released their information onto a pro-Kira website. Rita la Pollera, march organiser and mother of one of last week's victims, an 18 year old drug dealer, had this to say to reporters…"

* * *

"The Greek pharmaceutical company Pharmakon, has filed for bankruptcy today, after the Kira caused death of the managing director, Giorgos Tade following corruption charges last week. Two thousand job losses are expected with in Greece and many more in the company's international offices and plants. For the effects on the Greek stock exchange we now go to…"

* * *

"An unprecedented legal decision took place in the House of Lords today. The Law Lords have ruled that 'Kira' is a legitimate 'murder weapon'. This ruling applies in such cases where the defendant has made deliberate and calculated efforts to ensure their victim is accused of an uncommitted crime or had a previous criminal action inflated to warrant Kira's punishment. Lady Justice, Anne Other for the opposition has described the decision as 'foolish and rushed'. Whilst Lord Punter has said this is a 'Landmark decision of great achievement'. They both join me now from our Westminster studio. Lord Punter isn't this decision long overdue? Of course I refer to the case of 'the man on the Clapham Omnibus' which last week…"

"I think it is fair to say that this is a decision we have all been anticipating, but it needed to go through all the correct legal procedures before we…"

"Correct legal procedures?! I think not, this monumental decision was dashed through the Lords without any careful thought or planning. This government is once again yielding to press and public hysteria and making bad judgements."

"So Lady Other you don't believe in the prosecution of those who mislead Kira into killing perfectly innocent people? Should Sarah Smith not stand trial for accusing her school teacher husband John of paedophilia based not on evidence but because it was cheaper than divorce?"

"I cannot comment on specific cases, but in such instances I can see why we do need to carefully rethink how we handle false accusations like this. I am merely concerned that we have not thought through the implications of this legislation. For example in America last week, where very similar procedures are already in place, a policeman was accused of the murder of a suspect because he _arrested_ him. They say the _victim,_ a serial rapist wouldn't have died if officer Doe hadn't arrested him! Since the officer _deliberately _arrested him, John Doe now finds himself up for the death penalty, most probably administered by the same weapon, Kira.

I'm not saying we should let those who manipulate Kira should not be punished for their heinous acts, all I'm saying is that we must protect everyone from Kira, the police, public and criminals alike. The prevention of such cases must fall directly to those from whom Kira receives his information the police and the press, both must ensure the accuracy of their reports lest they cause any unnecessary deaths."

* * *

L didn't like working with the world news on, it was so demoralising, sapping the strength and the energy from the team until they worked in silence. It was hard to watch Kira murder, Kira corrupt and Kira destroy when you knew that the one thing keeping the world's hope alive was almost a complete lie. Out there, all across the world, people got up in the morning and got on with life because they _knew_ that the great detective L and the best of the Japanese police were working tirelessly to protect them. What they didn't know was what that really meant; seven men and a teenage boy.

No, he didn't like watching the news, because everyday it reminded him that yesterday he had failed and people had suffered because of him.

In a typical case the knowledge that L was on the scene was usually enough to halt a murder spree or at least slow it down. The criminal suddenly worried a lot about the evidence being left behind and changed things, which in itself was usually enough evidence to catch them soon after.

That was of course, back in the days when 'L' meant something. L had meant justice, integrity and _action_. It meant that criminals should look out, take heed and be very, very quiet.

Now…

… there was a phrase circulating the English speaking countries, '_when L arrests Kira' _which was roughly the equivalent of 'when pigs fly'.

But he would, he bloody well would, he'd get him somehow.

He had to!

But Kira could be anyone, anywhere, maybe even the other side of the world?

* * *

Or the thickness of a wall away.

Ryuzaki wasn't the only one who liked to play with double sided mirrors.

However, unlike the other one this mirror had an automatic cutoff and a carefully placed 'emergency exit' light to ensure that Kira's side of the mirror was always darker and the 'mirror' therefore, always a mirror. Ryuzaki stared at it a lot Kira noticed, when he was stressed, as though he too had been suckered into the belief that 'L knew all' and was desperately seeking the answers in his eyes.

'You're lost, L and soon, you're going to die.'

* * *

"The Filipino president, JuandelaCruz, officially announced the deaths of over six and a half thousand prisoners killed in the most active phase of Kira's new reign of terror. The victims mostly came from high security facilities and it is still unknown how information about them was leaked to Kira. President de la Cruz pledged to increase his country's contribution to the reward being offered to the person or forces responsible for the stopping Kira. The amount on offer currently stands at…"

* * *

It was just under two months since they had first moved into the new investigation headquarters with such hope and optimism… well not that much of either, but certainly more than they had now anyway. A lot had happened and none of it good.

For a start Kira had gotten a lot faster.

In the darkest, deepest parts of his heart, Light might have once acknowledged a certain sympathy for Kira and his methods, but now he knew… no, everyone knew, … surely even Kira himself had to know this was madness! The numbers involved were just ridiculous! Experts were estimating that Kira was very close to the thirty thousand mark, but Light considering himself _the _expert knew Kira had passed that some days ago. 30,000 people! How did someone do that anyway?

A lot of the Kira supporters had quietly shut-up, leaving only the most fanatical who hailed the divine retribution, singing Kira's praises from on high…or something like that whilst conveniently forgetting Kira's mistakes or even more sinister, accepting them. "Kira punished them; therefore they must have done something wrong." And the child victims "were obviously going grow up to be bad people." Presumably killing them before they did anything wrong was more time efficient.

Around the world there was a very uncomfortable, unspoken acknowledgement that Kira 'wasn't … you know…very…well that is to say…um…whilst I accept crime rates have gone down and all that…well, this Kira chap isn't…very…nice.'

Very few were prepared to speak out against him and even less to do it publicly. That was despite Kira apparently sticking to his word of only killing criminals (or people mistaken for criminals or people who got on the wrong sort of list). It was because Kira could, that people stayed away, you never knew if your comment would just be a bit too strong or catch Kira in a bad mood.

But of course there were always some, Light thought with a smile, prepared to give it a go.

* * *

"So Professor, your latest book is out this week. 'The Kira Delusion' that's quite a controversial title! Don't you think it's a bit risky to do something like this now?"

"Risky indeed, but no, I had to write this book, somethings things just have to be said. What I and many other prominent thinkers have been stunned by is the global acceptance of this concept of Kira."

"You deny what is happening in prisons all over the world? Are you saying that the prison guards are 'delusional'? "

"No, of course not. The delusion I refer to is not over the deaths of criminals world wide, unfortunately that is an undeniable fact. The delusion is 'Kira', the god, not the process. Within weeks of these terrible murders starting fanatics and cults have been springing up everywhere claiming to know 'the true word of Kira' or that Kira speaks to them at night or Kira's 'healed them'. And those are just the ones that are mad, there are many more who are just cashing in on people's gullibility, take the preacher for example, who claims that if you send him a donation he'll pray to Kira for you and redeem you of your crimes."

* * *

It had also been two months since his and Ryuzaki's rather large falling out, the bruises and injured prides of which had taken many weeks to heal.

They still hadn't exactly made up even now. He wanted to of course, but Ryuzaki was so uncooprative, often claiming Light had said and done things that he certainly didn't remember doing and then hitting him for these imaginary grievances.

It didn't help that his father was doing everything in his power to stop them from being within a 3 ft radius of one another. Watari was in on it too, having shown Yagami-san footage of their 'interactions'.

Soichiro hadn't yet said anything directly but had made quite pointed remarks to Ryuzaki that he should allow Light to visit his _girl_friend, what with him being a _young_ teenager and all, in fact why not give him a night off, let him enjoy a romantic evening with his _pretty girl_friend, alone, without adult supervision, to do teenage boy sort of things. He'd even offered, if Light was feeling bored, to go home and fetch him some books or _magazines_ or something. 'Erk! How does he know about my porn?' Light wasn't sure how he felt about his dad's reactions all he knew was that it was getting very annoying.

Just the other night, as they were getting ready for bed, whilst arguing over some email had been allegedly sent by/to Ryuzaki to/from Light another fight had started. Being tired, it wasn't a proper fight and soon changed into general shoving and then into playful wrestling and ended with Light being held under L on the detective's bed.

Ryuzaki had stopped tickling Light's feet when a shift of the other's legs had brought their faces close together. Ryuzaki was crouched over him, sitting on his stomach, staring down and the flushed, smiling boy reclined against his pillows with hair swept around him. He slowly leaned in toward the boy, who sat up slightly.

Just as their lips were about to meet L's phone rang. Both made frustrated noises and glared at the blinking security camera over looking the bed.

"I thought I turned that off." He said before answering the phone.

"Yes Watari…yes…yes… I know…really?...fine I'll be there in a minute." He sighed and shut off the phone; Light had sat up and moved to the other side of the bed. "There is apparently an emergency requiring my immediate attention…um…will you wait for me?"

"No point. Good night Ryuzaki-san." He said with a huff and left the room without looking back at the detective.

It seemed as though everyone and fate itself was determined to keep them apart.

* * *

"Perico de los Palotes has just been found dead." L relayed the message he'd just received from the Spanish authorities to the team. Light paused, pen in hand to look at him.

"Isn't he that Spanish Kira supporter who had all those people killed?" asked Matsuda, who was currently on stapler duty.

"Yes, although Kira didn't seem too fond of him - he died of a heart attack."

"Odd." said his father. "It's not like Kira to go around killing his supporters, and its not as though the guy cheated. Like that Austrian guy who hid the details of his ex-wife in the prison lists."

"Ryuzaki, didn't you once tell me you thought Kira controlled the head of the FBI before killing him? Kira made him give the details of the 12 FBI agents away so they could all be killed. Is this perhaps the same tactic?" Light suggested, allowing the worry to be heard in his tone.

"Yes, well done Yagami-kun." droned L in a deadpan voice. "I suspect Kira is either blackmailing or 'controlling' minor officials and prison guards in order to perpetrate more… _efficient_ _judgements."_ He paused and bit his thumb nail. "This is worrying, since there is very little that can be done to prevent it. We are particularly vulnerable to such an attack ourselves. Or _you_ are gentlemen, since none of you would ever be able to reveal my identity, and those that can… well lets just say they are very few and far between and unlikely to come to Kira's attention.

Never the less, this is a very important issue, Mogi-san if you've completed the last task I set for you I would like you to investigate 'controlled' victims..."…."

* * *

'I'm useless here and everyone knows it. I have no idea what Light-kun is going on about these days. I can only just about follow his instructions and even then I mess up so much it's just easier for him to do it. Although, Misa appreciates me… I think.'

* * *

Light was staring out of the window, his mind meandering around the banks of confusion and inspiration. The computer system was slowly restarting, a casualty of his latest programming efforts that had seen blue screens and data loss all around. L had claimed that this was just another attempt to delay the Kira investigation whence Light had replied claiming that "Your mum's an attempt to delay the Kira investigation!" Yes, after weeks of petty fighting and point scoring they had descended to that level of pointless bickering.

He looked back at the data … there was a pattern here but what did it mean? Ok, what did he know?

'_1. Criminals announced on the 9 o'clock NHN and Sakura TV news programs are killed (regardless of how atrocious the crime committed was) _

_2. They die in the order in which they were announced. _

_3. Those reported on NHN first, then any criminals they didn't report die in the order that Sakura TV announced them. Therefore Kira watches NHN first, then he watches Sakura TV._

_However, with the 6 o'clock news, the 'worst criminals', the murderers, the rapists and the gangsters, are killed first. The rest, the thieves, the yobs and the vandals, then die a few hours later in the order they were originally announced in, but with gaps of a few minutes in the space left by a 'bad criminal'.'_

_But that only applies in Japan or at least for anyone who makes the Japanese news, if the names can't be found on a Japanese site then only the 'real criminals' die – does Kira really hate Japan?_

'_No, that wouldn't make sense…._

_If there are still two Kiras active now…then this…maybe. Yeah… Ok we have 'Good Kira' and 'Bastard Kira'. Good-Kira kills all the real criminals at 6, then Bastard-Kira comes along later and kills everyone else not knowing Good-Kira got in there before him. But while Good-Kira is killing the bad criminals from all over the world, Bastard-Kira beats him to the 9 o'clock news and kills everyone… as long as he doesn't have too look to hard for them._

_Hang on, why I'm I calling one of them 'Good-Kira'?_

* * *

"The World Bank is putting emergency funds in place for countries struggling to cope with the recent dramatic increases in Kira activities. For more information and full analysis of the troubling market conditions we now got to our financial reporter…"

* * *

"Damnit!" The Blue Screen of Death once again loomed down upon Light. He was so sure that this time it would work but when the network had failed the main processor had dumped all the data at once on the router which had thrown up bizarre system cache related errors. There was just too much data and his new system was obviously far too ambitious. 'Oh well, it's another late night I guess…'

But he didn't mind, anything was better than thinking too much…

…like how he was very good at English but not so good at French. Things like that weren't nice to think about when the FBI's victim report was open on his screen… and that French news report

…apparently Kira misread a news article off a French website and killed the victim not the rapist … an odd use of prepositions and an irregular verb were to blame.

Well those network cables weren't going to untangle themselves…

* * *

'One lead is all I need. Just some little mistake and I can hunt him down, but I just can't find it.' It was impossible with this many victims to look intently at each to see if one just happened to have only been reported in one country or had any connection to one of his suspects. L only clung to the idea that Kira still had to be Japanese because the thought of expanding the amount of potential suspects by that much was just too depressing to contemplate. Kira _had_ to be Japanese and he _had _to be Light Yagami, although why he was so sure of this he didn't know anymore.

What he wouldn't give to feel the certainty of his conviction like he had only a few months ago? Right after Amane's arrest, after they got the first physical evidence of a link between a Kira and a suspect there had been a period of about three days where he knew with complete certainty that the case was over. All they would need is for Light to slip up, kill Amane or go on the run and that would be it: Case Solved. Of course there would be the small matter of extracting the Kira method from one of the perpetrators, but that wasn't something L had considered would be a long process, he was very used to dealing with such things.

In those three days his victory had been assured, he had out-smarted and out-manoeuvred that cocky bastard and everything had fallen into place. But then it all went wrong. Why? What happened in those three days?

No, wait, it was after then when it really went bad…a couple of days later… Light went all funny and Kira started killing again but faster… what happened? What changed?

L's mind slipped from its concentrated state for it had become quite distracted.

There, to his right was a rather attractive bottom emerging from a bank of computers. _He does love those tight trousers doesn't he? And so it seems do I. _Light was on his hands and needs waist deep in a tangle of cables under the desk. Muffled grunts and swearing could be heard as the owner of the delightfully toned buttocks grappled with a particularly tricky Ethernet cable. "Ewww Ryuzaki its disgusting down here! How the hell did so many sweat wrappers end up in this mess?"

"I couldn't possibly speculate Yagami-kun." _But I think a close inspection is defiantly in order. _

Ryuzaki hopped down of his chain in order to 'assist' Light with his difficult task that now seemed similar to untangling a Mobius strip. "So how is the project going, Yagami-kun?" he asked as he handed the boy an extension lead, taking care to accidentally catch the end on Light's shirt and so sliding it up slightly. An expletive was all he received as a reply, but it gave him an excuse to lean in closer, in a purely helpful sort of way, placing his hand as he did so, on the exposed skin, to support himself of course.

A loud and aggrieved cough alerted him to the presence of a loud and aggrieved police officer behind him. The man's expression quite clearly sent the message 'that in the interest of professionalism and normal business practises I am restraining myself from kicking your head in, but should you fail to desist I may be forced to change my position on that course of action.'

Ryuzaki carefully removed the offending hand and made of show of dusting off the affected area before quickly shuffling back to the safety of his seat.

* * *

'This is too big for me. I thought we could really do something, but this is getting mental… and my family wants me to get out whilst I still can. I'm sorry Ukita, but I don't think I can do this for much longer.'

* * *

Misa-Misa was having the time of her life. Every few nights her beloved boyfriend was sneaking out of Ryuga's clutches and visiting her in her rooms. The first time he had said the evil pervert Ryuga had come on to him and he needed to de-gay himself. Misa's knight had then made love to her with such intensity and passion that she would have sworn he'd been doing it for years. He knew her body so well, what she liked and how she liked it, she couldn't believe such a perfect boyfriend had tuned out to be such a perfect lover.

* * *

Ryuzaki wasn't having the time of his life. The Kira case was going nowhere, his reputation was in tatters and he had a sexy, attractive young man about whom he was having sexy, attractive urges, yet with whom he could do nothing with…or to…or on as the case may be.

Also he was out of cake.

Apparently the bakery hadn't received Watari's order – an email glitch, and with things as they were he didn't dare send the old man out unnecessarily. Things were getting difficult, L had to acknowledge that. It felt as though Kira was closing in and although he didn't know why Kira's lust for death had so dramatically increased he felt sure it was down to him at least in part.

How could he think about the boy when his inaction condemned thousands to die? Dusky daydreams about warm kisses whilst hearts were untimely stilled. Covert cuddling and sneaky hand-holding despite the fresh graves and grieving families, how dare he? Never before had L felt such a weight of responsibility, even the worst serial killers were limited to a handful of people a day. How, when they caught Kira, would L ever be able to forgive himself for all those victims he couldn't save?

But, still, even having said all that, was it so wrong to take a little comfort when things were hard?

After a week of very late nights Ryuzaki had finally taken pity of the boy and dragged him off to bed. Light was leaning on him, half asleep, arm around his shoulder as he led them down their corridor. Ryuzaki opened his door and squeezed them through. Light, having sighted a bed, disengaged from the detective, shuffling towards it. Upon reaching it and with minor preamble he changed from the vertical to the horizontal in a graceless bellyflop.

"Ne, Light-kun you can't sleep there, this is my room and you haven't taken your shoes off or… exfoliated yet! You know you'll regret that in the morning and spend all day bitching about it." A vague noise emerged from the pile of covers in which Light's head was buried. He crawled up onto the bed and over towards the sleeper. "Come on Light… Watari's going to call in a minute… and then you'll have to go." He said as he poked him repeatedly. Giving up, he sat back against the pillows and ruffled the soft caramel hair before carefully tugging the boy closer. Light responded with a grunt, wrapped his arm around Ryuzaki's waist and snuggled up with his chest as a new pillow.

"Hey…Watari's gonna…" he said before trailing off. He was tired too, he wouldn't arrest Kira tonight…so what was the harm in… he needed this! Was it so wrong to take a little comfort when you were so alone?

* * *

"Aren't we going to stop them?" In the control room Watari and Soichiro were …not exactly spying… of course not… they were, they agreed, in a very real sense, preventing dangerous or undesirable occurrences from slowing the Kira investigation…ok, they were spying but they weren't going to admit to that.

Part of Yagami Soichiro was raving madly inside his skull. 'How dare that freak molest my perfect, handsome and above all, very heterosexual son!?' It called for death! To beat that pervert black and blue! Lock away his son in a cage made of Playboy magazines! His faultless, manly son was obviously not a homo! Four gorgeous girlfriends, no obvious interest in musical theatre and great sporting ability – all the signs were there! Even if… well he did have to admit that when he'd seen his son looking at girly magazines he had been very relieved under all the embarrassment, but that just showed how good at hiding stuff his son was.

'But he's never brought any of those girls home, never goes to their homes.' The other part of Yagami Soichiro, the part he used at work, didn't rave. After years of practise it had no opinion, it observed, took note and came to conclusions. It was the part of him that allowed detective Yagami to become the man he was, to treat the murders of small children and Yakuza bosses with the same clinical dispassion and energy. This part observed the smiles and blushes between his two 'suspects' and how they talked together, worked together and fought together. Now as he stared up at feed from camera #153 this part, the Detective, saw Suspect A stroke Suspect B's face. Suspect B lent upward and began to kiss Suspect A, who wrapped both arms around and pulled to other on top of him. The detective could see no signs of coercion or intimidation, both were well above the age of consent and neither had taken any intoxicating substances, and so the Detective had to conclude that Suspect B was probably happy with his current situation.

"Don't these boys deserve a little brake?" Watari was also unsure as to what to make of the young master's new 'interest'. He well remembered a time, for it was not so long ago, when such things were illegal and thought to arise from a mental defect. In fact it was only four years ago that the age of consent was equalised in his home country. Yet despite being born into a time that would hand out prison sentences for such 'crimes', a public school and Oxbridge education had, shall we say, broadened Quillish's mind when it came to certain 'lifestyles'. However when it came to L, the dear boy and the son he'd never have, Wammy held quite different opinions. He'd been the young genius's main career and companion almost since he'd found him as a boy in run down orphanage. Wammy had always aimed to give the prodigy a somewhat normal social life, but L had never been interested and in some cases very uncooperative. He tried though and did his best to accommodate him and alleviate some of the issues caused by his regressed social skills.

L sometimes seemed almost too innocent. Wammy recalled one night when he'd been summoned by the panicked investigator because something was happening 'down there' a short lecture on wet dreams and the 'wonderful world of puberty' later and all was well. However Quillish often worried about the young man who had got the rest of his sex ed from the rape cases he worked on, and it seemed as though years of such detective work had had that undesirable effect, when the young detective never showed an interest in finding someone special. They'd had other talks on how 'sex wasn't just for bad men', and he'd arranged little dates between him and pretty lady genii but he'd never seemed that keen. 'And now I know why.'

That wasn't the main worry for Watari. Wammy always wished for L's happiness, and if that was gained through canoodlingcannonading with the other boys then who was he to judge? For Watari this recent development was troubling for different reasons; the suspect/investigator impartiality was shot to pieces – this was completely unprofessional! Then there was the strong possibility that this was all part of the young Kira's plans, and maybe the next time he took his eyes off them a love stuck L would be handing over his criminal database or lying dead on the floor. Still if L thought it was safe…

"I thought we agreed we had to stop this."

"I know, but they've been working so hard lately, Yagami-san. This case is very stressful and tiring and this is there way of coping and getting through it together."

"But I thought stopping them was our 'way of coping'."

"You're right but…" he sighed. On screen Yagami-kun was pushing L's shirt up and L's hands were wondering far to close the others trousers. "…Oh what the heck, lets turn on the sprinklers!"

On the screen the now soggy affair was called to a halt and each returned to getting ready for bed in their own rooms.

* * *

The idea was simple, the process it turned out, was not. In theory, as Light had previously suggested, anything that one might want to know about the activities of the Kiras could be found from the data already collated.

If of course, one knew what one was looking for, but they didn't. Did Kira have a strict moral code? Did Kira always target one type of crime? Did Kira have any biases or bigotries? All of which would be useful to know! Hell if they could work out Kira's schedule then they could probably guess at what sort of job he had.

However everything was inextricably confused and complicated by the apparent existence of multiple Kiras. It was assumed that there were probably only two currently active Kiras, (and if L's theory was to be believed then two other inactive Kiras remained at large.) but their justification for such an assumption was pretty weak, in fact Aizawa claimed that the sudden rapid acceleration was more likely due to other Kiras emerging than the originals becoming more murderous. The team were divided on which scenario they preferred, an ever growing army of psychic killers or facing one Kira who could calmly slaughter two thousand people in a few hours.

Light's suspected that his theory of a Good-Kira and Bastard-Kira was correct but could currently do little to prove it. Now if only his damn programme would work!

His idea went like this: 'About ; 'about each victim, I know a few variables (TOD, crime, time of announcement, length of criminal history etc) as well as other factors more about the person (age, sex, race, religion, class, education etc) but I have no idea how they might correlate.' Perhaps Kira hated rich people who committed violent crimes? Or maybe Kira was lenient on the young, so severity of crimes committed by victims would decrease with age. Or he might think all poor, uneducated men were thugs so would kill them for any crime no matter how evil? Kira might even suffer from pogonophobia and kill anyone with a beard!

It was impossible to tell what might correlate, or of what might be the answer. So therein arose his programme, for it relied of the ability of the human mind to spot pattern and meaning in a way no computer can possibly emulate. It would, when it worked, pick two random factors or variables and produce a simple graph; this graph would then be displayed on one of the four computers manned by a detective. The detective would then rate the graph on correlation and meaning, a zero for a chaotic graph that perhaps showed colour of victim's shirt in photographs against victim numbers and a ten for a straight line graph showing severity of crime against victim numbers. The rating was stored and then used to generate the next set of graphs. In this way Light hoped to have any bit of important information that it was possible to abstract from the data in a matter of days, weeks for anything a bit weirder.

However there was one thing, beyond simply writing the programme halting his progress.

Two different and independently minded Kiras increased the complexity a hundred fold.

He just couldn't do it unless he could analyse them separately.

If there was some way in which he could conclusively say who killed who, the he could do it.

But he couldn't… well…

No he might… but if that worked what did it mean?

Over the last few weeks the identities of 'Good-Kira' and 'Bastard-Kira' had solidified in his mind. He could no longer deny it, but the way that 'Bastard-Kira' operated revolted Light to the extreme, he killed pregnant women for fuck's sake! Seventeen year olds of crashed their dad's car in to trees, twenty year olds arrested for drunk exam celebrations, anti-war protesters who chained themselves to government offices were just the tip of a very evil iceberg. That man was a menace and it wasn't even on just the extreme cases on which they differed, it was on their whole concepts of justice and what was 'bad'. A careless driver who knocks down a kid is careless and does deserve some punishment, but isn't actually 'bad', or not in the same way that a rapist is.

'Good-Kira' however… well the name itself gave it away.

Light and the other Kira… when he didn't make mistakes … seemed to have quite similar… well, very similar opinions about crime. Almost identical it would seem, especially before…before his confinecomfine-

But obviously a few parallel thoughts on justice didn't mean all that much… and nowadays with all the mass killings, (even if they were the worst criminals) and with the mistakes, any rational person, who truly understood law and crime, would come to a similar conclusion.

Really it meant nothing and besides it probably wouldn't even work.

_But we have to solve this! What, Wwhat if by worrying about some completely meaningless implications to my own guilt, I'm holding up the investigation? Even if it does work, the team will just be so pleased they wontwon't ask how I did it. L will… no L trusts me…somewhat._

_Damn it! I'm going to do it!_

So Light spent the rest of the afternoon designing a data filter that he hoped would separate out the Japanese victims of the two Kiras. Straight in went 'violent rape', 'child abuse' and 'pre-meditated murder without extenuating circumstances' then any sort of 'serial killer or gangster' after that it got a bit trickier, 'armed robbery' but if no one got hurt? 'Drug dealers?' and 'addicts' were they that bad? Or did it depend more on the drug involved? Prostitution, whilst illegal tended not to be the woman's occupation of choice so it seemed hardly fair to punish with death.

Once he had the filter constructed it took another hour or so to get the system to accept it and begin to work. Then he was faced with the choice. On screen was a button that said Run. He sighed, took a deep breath and clicked on it. After a few tense minutes the computer stopped processing and outputted the data. A new button was high-lighted Compare. This too was clicked upon. The list of the first Kira victims up until Sakura TV appeared next to the list of criminals announced in the same period but run through the filter. A number materialised on screen.

87 percent accuracy. Light gasped and quickly brought up the names that did not feature on both lists. On the filtered list were criminals with names unknown or photos not shown, and on the other list were victims that L had already suggested were killed under pressure. With this he made some adjustments in the filter and recalculated.

96.3 percent. _Oh god, I'm going to be sick. This proves it, L's been right all along…_

"Hey everybody look! Yagami-kun's finally done it!" Aizawa, walking behind him had just spotted what was on the screen.

"Let me see that." L almost leaped across the room in his excitement to see if he'd finally got his lead.

"Oh wow, well done Light-kun. 96 percent huh?" Matsuda slapped him on the back.

"Does it work on the rest of the data?" At Mogi's request Light started clicking away and the team collectively held their breath as the mouse came to hover over the Run button.

"83 percent huh? That's to be expected isn't it with that other Kira messing things up. Well I think that proves it Ryuzaki, the old Kira and the new Kira are the same, my son is innocent!" His dad actually had his arm round him as he beamed with pride.

"That is still to be seen." His father glowered at the detective. "but I guess it does seem rather unlikely now, well done Yagami-kun!" L said as he sent him an affectionate smile.

_Oh goody_

"Well come on then Yagami-kun, now you've got it working set up that system of yours and we'll have a proper go at it tomorrow." Said Aizawa who was also smiling at him.

"Yeh! With this I bet I'll be no time at all until we catch Kira!" A few of the others joined in with Matsuda's cheer.

_But who will we catch?_

Then the computer, after working so well all afternoon seemed to sense the imbalance in the universe, promptly crashed.

Although that might have had something to do with him surreptitiously pulling out a cable or two.

* * *

What the hell was happening to this timeline! He turned his back for two minutes and those two were hoping into bed or sneaking into broom closets! Never mind purging the world of crime and controlling the investigation, it was protecting his younger self that was the hard work. 'I don't get it – I'm not gay!' and it wasn't as though this time was that much different either.

'The chain! Don't tell me that the only thing keeping Ryuzaki and I from making wild animalistic love with each other was that damn chain!' Then again, being permanently attached to someone is probably totally unconducive to attraction. No space, no freedom, driving each other up the wall, showering, farting and taking a crap in front of the other certainly removed any passion from the atmosphere. So was that it? With the freedom to pick your nose in privacy love may bloom…well not if he could help it!

Over the last 2 months Light had been waging a constant battle against the lustful teenage hormones of his younger self. His first course of action was to seek unknowing allies in the form of his father and the old man. Watari must be going senile or did he really think that it was just his good luck that the screens would just happen to flick to the right camera as soon as the boys found themselves alone? Sometimes a little bit of prompting was needed, such as causing the sprinkler light to flash and catch they eye at just the right moment.

If his allies were busy, then the young lovers might find certain doors were oh so inconveniently locked, an occupied shower that the other approached immediately turned scalding, romantic cake by candlelight instantly set off fire alarms and occasionally those elevator door shut too fast. One was left behind, whilst the other was taken on a slow ride to the top of the building then being left to walk off his lust descending 23 stories due to sudden lift malfunction. Once when his younger self was forcefully rammed up against the fridge and was just about to be slobbered upon, a few mouse clicks on his part resulted in a gush if ice cubes from the abused appliance into the face of the aggressor.

Well he would admit it; he was a bit of a bastard.

That was of course without the emails and personal appearances he put in…that made him a full- on dickhead. Oh, he would never get tired of spying L on his lonesome, turning up, making some derogatory comment or physically assaulting him then slipping out just as his younger self arrived. He was surprised L still felt frisky after all those groin based injuries and deprecation he received. Perhaps it was time to really turn things up?

_Beep beep beep_

_Kiss _"Misa sweety" _kiss _ "Do you remember what I need you to do for me?"

_Giggle, stroke _"Yup! Don't worry Lighty can count on his Misa-Misa!" _kiss _ Light looked down at the semi naked woman writhing on his crotch. '_Oh dear! Gothic-Lolita lingerie has a lot to answer for.'_ Misa was not so much as wearing the … 'garments' as she was standing next to them. It, being the rather small amount of lace held together with shear force of will as far as Light could ascertain, was red, very red. With red lacy stockings, red fluffy shoes and something up top that was presumably meant to be a bra but seemed not to fit the form nor the purpose that was suggested by the word 'bra'.

"Here, slip on your (red) silk gown. Now remember L doesn't know I've been sneaking off to come see you, so I'm going to pretend I haven't been and remember, I'm very good at acting. But..."

"If we show L just how much we love each other he'll have to let us stay together!"

_Kiss _"Yes! Well done! And what else?"

"I must be careful not to mention when you come and see me, 'cos other wise he'll stop you from coming."

_Kiss _"Perfect! You were always perfect my beautiful Misa."

* * *

L was sitting, crouched in a… No L was leading the Kira investigation, it was Ryuzaki who was hiding in a spare room and …had something in his eye. Both eyes in fact because they were watering like anything. 'Of course he would…isn't he always telling me how much he hates me and how ugly I am…' he felt foolish, how could he have missed it? He was a detective for crying out loud!

It had been Yagami-san who had forced them to go visit Misa. He'd been hinting for weeks that they ought to, "Light would enjoy it"……

'Oh!oh! Did he know?'

Had he been trying to warn Ryuzaki this whole time? Was it not his homophobia speaking but his concern? Yagami-san already knew his son was a four-timer …

'I bet they all knew… they were just trying to help, but I couldn't see that.'

Amane-san was beautiful, lovely and bouncy in all the right places. and Ryuzaki was…not.

They had brought cake and pop with them for the 'date'. Light had been grumpy, apparently he was half way through analysing some new data, so he hadn't been pleased when his father had forcefully thrown them from the work room. He stopped stomping however when Ryuzaki had took his hand and smiled at him and they'd walked together upstairs. But then Watari had arrived with the tea things to escort them to Misa's room and ensure they didn't 'get lost' along the way. Misa's room was softly lit with candles and romantic music: that only caused the two of them to snigger. Misa's knowledge of romantic music apparently began and ended with any song that had 'love' in the title. As they sat down Misa announced herself.

Ryuzaki's mouth had fallen open and in the shock his cupcake slid between his fingers and squelched on the floor. She'd stood there like a Gothic Aphrodite, the shear force of her sexuality hitting him like a…like a … an incomparable force that knocked the metaphors right out of him. He'd seen naked women before of course (typically the sort with chalk outlines round them) but this one seemed somehow… more naked even though she was, apparently, adequately dressed. In a vision of red she'd strutted over to them, using every modelling trick she knew and a few of those usually confined to the casting couch. It was only when she settled herself upon her equally stunned boyfriend that Ryuzaki had remembered his existence or noticed that Misa had apparently been speaking to them. Misa wobbled and Light reached to support her unsure of where was polite to place his hands and ending up with handfuls of lithe young woman.

"Oh Lighty!! It's been soon long, and why did you bring _him_ with you this time? How are we supposed to have our fun with that _pervert _hanging around?" Misa's hand fiddled with Light's top button as the other coyly played with his fringe offset by a few covert moves of her hips that had Light stammering as he desperately tried to find her eyes more fascinating than her cleavage and failing miserably.

"I'm surprised you came back so soon after what we got up to last time! He he he!!"

"uh-erk!" apparently Misa had just rubbed something interesting.

"Of course hanging around with that freak must be so terrible, I shouldn't really be surprised."

"Myah!"

"Such an icky thing isn't he, can't blame you for sneaking off again at any opportunity. Don't worry Lighty! ! Misa-Misa will cheer you up!" She leaned forward making her point by submerging her boyfriend's face in boob.

"Mmf." Hands raised to push the model away found themselves distracted and lost by her bum.

That was it! He couldn't take it anymore and shaking Ryuzaki stumbled to his feet. She looked up at him and her gaze pinned him to the wall. She smiled widely, "Don't look so grossed out Ryuga! I know you don't get out much, but really! This is what it looks like when two people are in love so maybe you'll understand now 'Light is mine'. He he!" His fingers slipped as they scrambled at the door handle but he managed to open it.

"Ryu!" Light had managed to free his face and was attempting to stand up against the model's best efforts. "Misa! Get off me!" he stumbled and they both collapsed to the floor behind the sofa.

"Oh Lighty YesYyes!"

Slipping out the door Ryuzaki lurched blindly along the corridor to the stairwell and down a few flights to he came upon the room he was now in.

.

.

.

.

It was another disused bedroom, barren and dusty now darkening as grey and dreary evening settled. Tape and wires hung from gaps in the celling, boxes, paint tins and the odd screwdriver were pilled up in a corner. He stepped into the room and glanced around at yet another waste of space and disorder before flipping the light switch. Nothing happened.

And that was it, after a frustrating day in a frustrating month, after that _thing_ upstairs, it was the broken light switch that reduced the great detective L to this, to tears. He shook as he slumped down the wall, behind his knees his hands couldn't stop the deluge that flowed freely down his face. And inside he screamed. _Why does nothing work? It's just a damn light, why can't it work? A light, _Light.

He wasn't sure quite how long he sat there for as the room darkened slowly, lit only from the traffic below. He calmed down after a while and now sat resting up against the glass starring down at the world, watching the patterns of red and white lights on the roads and the people that traversed them. _How carefree they are, how do they cope? Doesn't Kira scare them or do they cheer for him?_

_Or do they wait for me? Do any of them still think I can do this? Justice aside, I'm useless. All I'm good for is money, rhetoric and pointless accusations. Light is the one doing most for this case…_

… _am I even L anymore?_

Footsteps approached, the door opened and Light stood there with a sad smile on his face.

"Hey Ryu. Why are you sitting in the dark?"

He flipped the switch.

And light filled the room.

* * *

"How was I Lighty?" Misa stood demure and unsure. She'd done everything her knight had asked of her but he'd wriggled away and ran after the freak.

Had his plan gone wrong? Had she messed up?

"My dear, you were perfect." Light, for all his years of knowing the model, had never understood her propensity for self doubt and meekness when it came to certain issues. It was something he'd always found initiating in her and women in general; the idea that they should seek approval for their every action.

It was why they would never succeed and why he could use them as he pleased.

Misa knew she was a beautiful, attractive and talented woman, yet seemed in constant need to be reminded of the fact by those around her. Light on the other hand knew how perfect he was but didn't feel the need to ask the world if they agreed, instead, he told them. Arrogance some might call it and of course he had to be careful not to go too far, but it worked. Tell people you're good and they'll believe you, ask them and they'll have to think about it and will find you lacking. Misa could be so sexy, so commanding and powerful, have anyone she liked (him included) worshipping her, if only there wasn't to be found in her eyes a little girl desperately seeking your approval.

* * *

The room, now beautifully lit, turned the world outside to nothing but inky blackness. "When there's too much light we are blind to everything else." L whispered to himself. He'd ignored Light, not sure of what he wanted to say, or if he trusted himself not to say too much should he start. So Light crossed the room and carefully sat down next to him.

"Umm…" Light stammered and then paused. Ryuzaki wasn't looking at him, but was trying to face his own reflection in the black mirror. Light sighed and then carefully went to grasp the detective's left hand, who after a moments resistance surrendered and allowed the fingers to thread between his own. Neither said anything but let the silence to reign, just watching the darkened clouds gather outside.

After a while and when L could be sure the last trace of redness would be gone from his eyes he spoke.

"Yagami-kun, are you Kira?" It wasn't what Light had been expecting and it threw him a little, but he paused and though about his answer and with only a slight unease replied.

"I … don't know." L turned with genuine surprise to gaze at the young man, but their hands remained clasped.

"You don't know? Well that's new. How so?"

"I guess I …dunno,donno but it seems like I think like Kira… and well you were always pretty convinced I was." And then with a sudden rushed energy he went on.

"It's the programme! Everyone thinks I'm amazing for figuring it out but really all I did was decide who I'd kill if I was Kira and the whole thing just popped out. If you add up everyone who I'd punish you get almost exactly the victim list for the first Kira! But I swear Ryu…I wouldn't…" He stopped, as though worried that armed police officers might burst into the room.

"Oh." Said Ryuzaki. "Your moral code matches Kira's huh?" Hehe turned back to the window. "Suppose"suppose I'd better arrest you then."

"I guess." Said Light equally despondent.

"But but you ought to have noticenoticed by now that I haven't Light-kun." He sighed. "It it was a nice theory I guess, that moral code thing, when you look at it from far away, but when you start to work with it you realise it's utter bollocks. Don't look at me like that, do you remember that test I made you take a while back, well I took it too. It seems we have quite similar opinions about crime. So then I got a few more samples and realised that most people have quite similar opinions on crime. However much I tried to narrow it down and find your justice unique, I couldn't do it. From the results its only possible to tell you're younger than 40, middle class, educated and probably male. You're not unique in any way in your opinions."

"Only probably huh?" Light said with a slight smile on his face.

"In fact, I'm coming to the conclusion that Light-kun is probably not Kira, although the chances of him at one point having been Kira or used by Kira still hovers around 25 percent and 35 percent respectively."

"Really, that low?" He gave L's hand a little squeeze who too now smiled slightly

"Though I guess I do wish that Yagami-kun was Kira sometimes." He said. "Yagami-Kira would be a good Kira I think." He wouldn't kill like this, mass, pointless, waves of death.

We would dance together in a waltz of lies and treachery, with none of this senseless vulgar march of destruction. Kira no longer cares for his dream of winningwining over the hearts and minds of the populous, or creating a just and free society. He doesn't even seem to care about me anymore. No longer do we exchange move and counter move, bluffs and charges. Now he bulldozes right over me, L is nothing more than a joke to him. The world's greatest detective could do no more than stare blindly after Kira as he vanished so completely you wondered if he'd ever been there in the first place.

Light broke through his reverie.

"This room is depressing. Let's go." They stood and walked toward the door, Ryuzaki not sure why he was following but reluctant to let go nonetheless.

They arrived on the roof and L wondered quite how this was supposed to be an improvement of downstairs. Though lighter now, night was setting in, the grungy grey rain clouds that had stuck around all day now pilled up in to storm clouds that squatted over the sky ominously. The air was humid and dirty, polluted to the brim and the wind! It whipped about, howling round the building with every promise to get colder and faster. It was not surprising then that L choose to remain in the relative shelter of the doordoor way rather than follow Light out onon to the deck. Light instead decided to run out and laughed, as he did so his hair and clothes were ripping up and around him.

.

.

"Oh god Ryuzaki. Look its amazing!" For some reason the detective remained huddled in the door way rather than come out here and just feel it. The wind that rushed around him was full of life, the air electric and those dark and rolling storm clouds just screamed excitement. The gust of energy that rushed around his feet and blow the hair from his face filled him to the brim with some unspeakable desire to just be, exist for the moment and revel in the somethingness of the atmosphere. He spun around, experiencing a great feeling of power and life as all around him nature danced around him ready to release itself in one moment to the world.

"Ryuzaki! Come out here! It's great!" he called again

.

.

No way! He was cold enough as it was and he wasn't going to prance about on a roof when it was clearly about to rain. "No thankyou Yagami-kun, I'll stay-" He he was right it did start to rain. Although rain hardly seemed like a suitable word. In one instant the whole world was just wet, as though the water had decided not to bother with the whole falling part of the deal. His view of Light was now blurred by the rain's seemingly difficult task of making things wetter. It It pelted down, bucket sized rain drops smashing into the roof with brick like force. Light gave a scream of laughter but instead of running back toward the door instead spun faster cackling with almost manic glee.

.

.

It was marvellous, his hair rammed against his head, clothes now twice as heavy but feeling so, so so powerful. He stopped his spinning and sighted L standing horror stuck in the doordoor way. Slipping and skidding over there Light grabbed the shocked detective and dragged him free of the doorway and on to the roof.

"Ahhh! Let me go! Let me go Light!" The the detective struggled and flailed against him but Light held firm, wrapping his arm around his shoulders then forcing their mouths together. Ryuzaki froze in his arms for a moment but then melted into the kiss and slipped his arms around Light's waist, the fridged cold of the rain brilliantly counterpointed but the searing heat of the other's body sending delightful shivers up his spine.

The kiss ended and they stood apart a little.

Then Light took his sodden sleeve and flicked a few drops of water on to Ryuzaki's face. And under a rain that could not have made things any wetter the absurdity of Light's action broke something inside of him and he started laughing. After everything that had brought him down, this lifted him and set him free and once he started he couldn't stop, doubling up in side-splitting, frenzied laughter, the tension washed away like the water off the roof. What did anything matter when for a moment they could just be? He grabbed Light's hands and together they span in circles, joking and shoving, happy just existing.

Suddenly a bolt if lightning smashed through the sky and the thunder pounded against the eardrums almost together and seemingly very close. Both yelped and jumped in close together before once again bursting out in to laughter.

"Come on Light. Lets head inside, it's dangerous out here!"

"No way, you wimp! Ha ha this is great!" And and with that the younger man grabbed him flipped him over his shoulder and began spinning him again. Another flash and boom followed, closer still and Ryuzaki yelped.

"Hey you! What are you so scared of?" Light brought him close and stood there gazing into his eyes before leaning in to kiss him. Another flash and the world turned white for an instant.

But!

There, over Light's shoulder, standing by the helicopter platform, looking down on him with a terrible shining smile and deep red eyes, dry and menacing in the midst of all the rain, was Light?

Another flash and nothing stood by the tower.

* * *

A very angry Watari and Soichiro stood waiting for them back inside the building. The looks on their faces enough to make them immediately break their clasped hands and stand like naughty school boys, dripping and shivering they stood apart a little and waited for the yelling to begin.

And it did. It started with a "Of all the silly things you've…" from Watari in his quiet and most livid voice and included words like, "hypothermia, electrocution, slip and fall." Whence it moved on to words like "duty, obligation and responsibility." And finishing with, "reputation, honer and integrity.". Soichiro warmed up with the popular "I didn't raise you to…" which he followed with a "what will your mother think?" before he settled on disorganised rant of the "disgusting, homo and faggot" type.

Light's face was burning with embarrassment and a combination of shame and indignation. L slouched, hands crammed into pockets trying to look his normal disinterested self, only shivering slightly. _Wasn't he affected by this?_ L never seemed that bothered about what other people thought of him, but surely this tirade should have broken through his stony facade. For him though, the good child, such anger from his father was a terrifying experience, not quite on the same level as his fake execution, but very similar to the fear and terror of waiting for his fathers reaction to Light having shoved his 6 year old sister down the stairs and braking her arm.

However along with all the emotions directed inward, Light had a strong feeling of shame _for _his father. _I knew he was a little conservative, but is this really how he feels? How does he survive as a police officer if this is what he really thinks? Doesn't he know about Mogi? _Even Light had heard about Mogi, Matsuda had told him a one of his father's work parties, quite high up in the LGBT Police Association apparently and always attended the Pride marches.

He didn't want to listen to his father and couldn't bear to even look at him so followed the normal trick of just staring past one shoulder and letting his mind fall blank. Maybe it was better this way? Although Light hadn't really decided what he felt about the thing between L and him, there were only so many times his father could get mad about it, _so might as well get it over with_. It wasn't as though his father hadn't had the time to get used to the idea, or that his son was going to stop just because he'd told him to. Light was often mistakenly thought of as an obedient son, but this was not the case, it was just that his parents has so far made sensible demands of him and ones that he was prepared to listen to.

_That will change though, when they find out that I'm Kira._

What ever Ryuzaki said it didn't change the fact that it was Light's very specific preferences that could be used to work the 'Kira hunting' programme. There seemed to be nothing he could do, each day he would work tirelessly to convict himself of the world's greatest murder. Perhaps this was L's real plan; sit sulking all day in order to force Light to gather evidence against himself just for something to do.

Or maybe L was right? Light knew in his heart that he couldn't actually, really, be Kira, it just had to be a mistake, and the only way to prove that was to find out who was Kira. If they were able to catch someone else the guilt would be removed, Light would be innocent. Catching Kira was going to be a long and arduous process, the data analysis had only just started today and only in a week or so would they have anything sensible to work with.

Part of his father's speech then seemed to permeate his thoughts. "…you never take account of anyone else's views" account_, accountant… wasn't there an accountant killed today by Kira? Suspected embezzlement, yeh Wanabe Jirou, pretty high up in Akihabara International. _

_Wasn't there that other guy too? A senior accountant for the Bank of Tokyo - killed last week. _

_They were Bastard-Kira's weren't they? Well I certainly wouldn't kill anyone for banking crimes. _

_Oh! And another from Ginza Plc! No, wait, he was an investment banker not an accountant. I thought I was on to something. _And then his eyes just staring past his father's shoulder alighted on his collar_…white collar crimes, ….city bosses committing fraud, receptionists stealing, breach of contracts, board men and office juniors… corporate crime…there's been a whole lot of that about recently hasn't there… and they're all being punished… by Bastard-Kira!_

_That's it!_

He spun suddenly to L startling his father and Watari. "Ryuzaki! I think I've got it, Kira has made a mistake!"

"What!?" Gasped L but Light was already running, he reached the lift and slapped the call button, opening the lift doors. L didn't hesitate and flew after him, slipping in just behind as the doors shut and the angry yells of the older men echoed around them. "Get back here! We weren't finished with you yet."

As the lift descended Light excitedly explained his tantalising theory. "Its not many, one or two a week but they're definitely not the work of the old Kira, and when you take into consideration new Kira's far fewer murders, the killing of business men becomes far more proportionally significant.. Kira has a grudge against white collar crimes!" L was silent, partially because he wouldn't have got a word in edgewise with Light in this hyperactive state but mostly because his brain was boiling. What did this mean? Why had new Kira taken such a vendetta against the corporate world?

The elevator doors dinged open and Light ran to the computer, knocking a shocked Aizawa off his chair and began typing furiously.

"Yagami-kun! What in the…why are you guys soaked?"

"Quite Aizawa-san!" said L as he too force the policeman out of the way and positioned himself in front of the computer. Graphs started appearing on screen, numbers started rushing by on a second monitor. "Look I was right! See these trends here, business related deaths are increasing way beyond any other type, 15 percent growth month on month!"

"What? Why would Kira do that?" said Matsuda as he rushed over to take a look.

"I don't know, maybe Kira is an aggrieved business man, got laid off or fired." Suggested the rather peeved Aizawa.

"Why's it increasing though? You'd think if you had a grudge you'd be angriest at the start not slowly hate it more." Asked Matsuda.

"Yes and the rate's increasing gradually but regularly, even if you did hate it more you wouldn't always hate it exactly 15 percent more each… why so habitual? Kira would only want to do that if…"

"…He was trying to hide it from us!" Finished L.

"Of course, the police would notice right away if all business criminals were targeted." Said Light as he turned to Ryuzaki.

"Then if he doesn't want us to know, it is not his sudden distaste for white collar crime he's trying to hide…"started L

"…he must have an ulterior motive, some how Kira is benefiting from this." Concluded Light.

"but how? Why would anyone want to do this deliberately? The economy has gone haywire, the news keeps talking about recession." Said Matsuda.

"That's the other Kira's work, no a few well placed deaths might be propelling Kira up the career ladder. It would certainly bring new meaning to the phrase 'waiting for dead men's shoes.'" Mogi added finally joining in the conversation.

"No, this feels bigger than that; it may even be affecting the whole banking industry. Yagami-kun bring up the financial times site please." Light typed in the URL and L pressed enter and then leaned round him to take over the mouse. It took them around ten minutes to find what they were looking for, during which time Watari and Soichiro had made it downstairs and had the situation explained to them by Aizawa.

It was big, even bigger than L had suggested. Not just concerning banks but instead a huge multinational conglomerate with interests in almost any conceivable market area– Yotsuba corporation.

They were everywhere. Up until a week or so ago Yotsuba had been enjoying massive growth with vast profits, and even now with the market in recession with stocks falling, Yotsuba was still miles ahead of their competitors, in graceful belt-tightening rather than the free fall losses and insolvency facing the competition.

It became all that more conclusive when Light started checking off deaths against companies and effects on the market. Every one left Yotsuba better off, every one was an advantage.

And it was then whilst Light and L were hogging the creative spotlight that Matsuda made his greatest contribution to the case.

"Hey Light-kun what about Aihara Miki?"

"Don't be so stupid Matsuda! It says right there she died in a house fire." But Light just acting on the name had already typed it in and pressed enter.

"Oh" said Light. It seemed that around the time of Aihara's death Yotsuba's stock had taken a sudden jump. A bit of research later and… "She was head of marketing at Industrial Illusions, she was due to announce a whole new product range the day before she died. All the files and documents were lost in the fire, because of this the company had to delay the launch of a new technology that would have directly rivalled Yotsuba's VDU and electronics divisions."

Silence filled the investigation room as each man chose to privately contemplate the implications of that information.

"Kira … is perhaps… not so restricted ….to heart attacks." Said L quite clearly shaken.

"Oh my god!" Matsuda gasped as he tried to imagine the possibilities.

"Good lord! Kira could have been killing secretly for months now. Light quickly! Look for more possible victims."

"And what do you want me to search for dad? People who've died in the last year!"

"Well I think we can assume that the methods must be accidental or natural."

"Why? There's no reason to think it's limited to that! For all we know anything's possible, catching bubonic plague, struck by meteor or maybe even being raped to death by a troupe of rabid gorillas!"

"Yagami-kun don't be silly. I understand it is now going to be a lot more difficult to unpick Kira's moves now that any death is possibly a victim, but what you forget is that tonight we have uncovered a substantial lead on this case." Said L and a suddenly much more relaxed voice.

"You're right! We've finally cracked it!" Cried Matsuda as he gave a little victory dance.

"We could probably even get a warrant on this information, couldn't we chief?" Said Mogi, grinning.

"Definitely, we can pull their records. Get all information on meetings and accounts." Replied Yagami.

"We're really getting somewhere aren't we? Ha ha it's back to that old policing chestnut "follow the money", and this time Kira is at the end of the trail." Declared a psyched Aizawa.

"Yes, gentlemen I believe it may not be too long until we're able to shut Kira down as they say." Said a smiling Watari.

"Kira's making mistakes. These deaths are not random; they're linked to him and him alone. Watari, we're going to need some help with this one, call in Weddy and Aiba." Said L, and for the first time in months actually sounding happy whilst working. "Now everyone, we've made a lot of progress tonight but we should probably…" He looked around at the excited and eager faces around him. "Fine if you want to stay, then start looking for more victims, you four" he gestured vaguely to the police officers "dig through the obituaries and the financial magazines then maybe we'll have to try hospital and governmental records. Watari, bring everyone a highly caffeinated beverage of choice and a slice of the Special Cake. This is a celebration!" The team moved away to their specific tasks, except… _I almost forgot. _"Yagami-kun!" The team paused and turned to the boy who'd been silent for some minutes. "well…Well done! Your achievements here tonight, no all your work has been of an exemplary level and your dedication…"

"Woo! Go Light-kun." Yelled Matsuda as he punched the air.

Aizawa clapped him on the back and said "Good work Yagami-kun!"; that was chorused and cheered by the others.

His father placed a hand upon his shoulder, "I'm very proud of you son." He said sounding very much as though he meant it and also very, very, releived.

Watari arrived then with the celebratory cake, a double layered chocolate affair liberally coated in sprinkles and curly icing, and began handing out slices on little plates.

Matsuda then cleared his throat and started in an awkward and stilted voice, "um, Ryuzaki…and er Light-kun are you aware that you're um…holding hands?" the whole room stilled into a self-conscious, uncomfortable moment. "Oh" whispered Light as he looked down and noticed that indeed he was holding L's hand.

"Ah" said L "ummm opps" he slowly and carefully removed his hand from Lights's. No one spoke and no one knew quite what to say as the tension slowly built. Each man desperately rung him brain for anything to say or do to somehow break the worsening silence and the social inadequacy. Someone carefully placed the cake plate down but the clatter rang loud in the echoing room.

Finally after what seemed like hours Yagami-san caved and began to speak with an angry but carefully measured voice "Fine, go on then if you must!"

And with that L leaned across and kissed Light on the mouth.

After a few modest seconds Light blushed and turned away. To which L growled in annoyance, grabbed the back of his head and brought him back for a proper full on snog. Matsuda after a moment made a decision and whooped loudly "Go L!". Aizawa, Mogi and Watari sent concerned glances to Soichiro who was glaring death at a patch of carpet near his feet. Light, now even more embarrassed, attempted to extricate himself from L's clutches but instead, through leaning further and further back, over balanced his chair and ended up dragging the startled detective and a half eaten slice of cake with him on his short and painful trip to the floor.

The team together laughed at L's perplexed and disorientated expression and then even more so when they realised that Light's pained expression was not due to the fall but instead the result of L's knee colliding with his groin. L joined them upon seeing Light's face contort into a look of abject horror when he realised his pristine hair had been involved with a fatal collision with a chocolate based sponge desert and Light just sat their and pouted, wiping the chocolatey gue off his head.

* * *

In monitor #73 L yelped as he was slapped with a hand full of cake. He grabbed Light around the middle and wrestled him back to the ground and began to smear the cream further into the soft brown hair as the rest of the room cheered him on. #67 showed from a better angle Light twisting out of the hold and getting ready with another slice of cake before in #71 a skillful swipe from Watari stopped the projectile from entering the foray. A handkerchief was produced and the older man attempted to clean the worst off his employer's face. #65 displayed Yagami-san hoisting his son to his feet and frog marching him off toward the bathroom. The remaining policemen all moved towards the computers still talking excitedly about the progress made. Web pages were loaded, programmes were run and names were found, all as a slightly sticky detective barked orders at them.

And all watched, far away in the parasitic control room, by Kira.

"And so it begins." Kira reached over to his right and pulled out the notebook, putting pen to paper.

The shinigami watched on, more unnerved, more worried and more alarmed by what he had just witnessed in the last ten minutes than by anything else he had experienced in his existence. Ryuk didn't speak, didn't eat his apple, didn't even reveal himself in the room, for, top of he list of things that unnerved, worried and alarmed him was that persistent red glow in Kira's eyes that would no longer fade.

* * *

… My god that was long! what do you all prefer, shorter more frequent updates or longer less frequent updates? although it won't make that much difference cos the next chaper will be done when it gets to the next plot point, but do you think i made the chapter unessecerly long with all that pointless whitering or did you appreachiate all the references and the geo-political angle?

as a test lets play 'Spot the gag!' over the last few chapeters there has been a reacuring joke aimed at the multi-lingual... even by bata didn't see it but if you spotted it tell me and they'll be prizes! there's also a reference to a famouse book that came out recently that will be the title of the next chapter, get either of those and your prize will be an exclusive preview to the bonus chapter a week before anyone else sees it... he he.

I won't say much other than I promise the next instalment will be a little sooner than last time. Also just a reminder that any review is greatly appreciated and will defiantly motivate me to start writing as soon as possible.


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